One Purpose
by Siaanna
Summary: She didn't have the privilege of choice; bound by tradition and honor, she stepped into the unknown and fast city with only one goal in mind. But like a wise man once said "No plan has ever survived contact with the enemy. It is how you react to the unexpected that will determine if you will succeed". RaphXoc
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMNT (teenage mutant ninja turtles).

**One Purpose**

Chapter 1

They were jumping and racing over rooftops, trying to get to their destination as soon as possible. The Kraang had been spotted again and they were going to get the shell beat out of them.

"I can't belief that they are at it again!" Donnie exclaimed, jumping to the next building and halting.

"Yeah," Mikey said throwing himself over the edge of an building and landing smoothly next to his taller brother "it's like they totally don't get it!"

Leo jumped and landed with a silent 'thump' between the two "Guys, remember that we have to stay silent!"

With a thundering smack, Raphael landed behind them and grinned broadly "I don't mind, we will just have to keep beating them until they get the message to stay down" and cracked his knuckles, the excited glint in his eyes giving his brothers a sliver of angst.

"That's not the point,-" Leo began before Mikey interrupted him.

"Wow, look at that!" he exclaimed pointing his finger to the street where the Kraang's white van and the Kraang themselves turned to point their guns to an approaching figure.

The turtles turned their attention to the road and then their jaws dropped almost audibly at the sight of the approaching girl.

Particularly Raphael was completely awestruck as he watched her move. The girl who was approaching the Kraang was walking in a relaxed pace in the middle of the street, the confidence with which she carried herself towards them made Raph's eyes grow to the size of tennis balls.

She was carrying a black straight hockey stick bag, the length of her own lean body and was swung casually over her right shoulder.

The girl wore knee length black poofy-pants, a black tank-top with which had a belt just underneath her breasts and was sporting a short cut light denim jacket.

But what made her even more awesome in his eyes, was the fact that even though it was well past midnight, she was wearing super streamlined black sunglasses.

Her midnight black hair was in a high-ponytail with thick strands of hair cupping the left side of her face.

The girl stopped walking when she was only a few feet away from the Kraang, furrowing her brows.

"You who has seen us in this place, will be destroyed in this place of which you have seen us in this place" said one of the Kraang and they all simultaneously raised their weapons to fire at the girl who only raised a single eyebrow.

She bowed to them, her left arm going behind her back as the corners of her lips twitched up in amusement.

"Uhm, guys…don't you think we should help her?" Donnie asked nervously as he watched with concern at the danger the girl was getting herself into and taking out his bo-staff.

"Right" Leo said and they all drew their weapons. And as they were about to jump in action to save the girl, it was already over.

The boys stared at the destroyed Kraang bots lying on the ground and the fleeing Kraang-brains. Then their eyes moved to where the girl was standing now, on the opposite side of where she first had been.

She stood crouching slightly forward, with her left arm stretched all the way out and holding a strange looking knife.

It wasn't exactly a Tantõ, it was too broad and croaked looking for that. It was like someone had masterfully combined the small Japanese katana with a Military Knife.

"Did…did she just do that?" Raph asked in complete disbelief.

The boys couldn't contemplate the pure speed and ease with which the girl must've taken out the Kraang…it was above that of any ordinary human.

Donnie began musing, dragging the attention of his brothers "That shouldn't be possible, especially with the looks of her blade it should,-"

"Guys," Mikey interrupted with slight panic in his voice, forcing his brothers to look at the back of his head "She is coming this way!"

The moment he warned them, was the moment she leaped up the building and landed catlike on the edge of the roof right in front of the retreating Michelangelo.

The turtles – all but Mikey – stood ready for an attack. Though it appeared the girl herself had put away her strange looking blade.

"Hi," She greeted them with nonchalance waving a hand.

The boys looked at each other for a moment before looking back at the girl who sat down the edge of the building, gentle setting the huge hockey bag next to her.

"You are not going to fight us too?" Leo asked, lowering his swords a bit.

"No." The girl smiled, Donatello noticing that she might be older than they were.

"Well that's a first" Raphael managed to say in his regular tone. He was still in awe of her and fiercely hoped his brother wouldn't notice it. He could already hear the comments and remarks they would make if they did.

"So who are you anyway?" Leo asked "And where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Hmm? You managed to see that?" She laughed quietly and shook her head "I'm Mai," She answered, bowing slightly as she sat "I was trained to be a samurai. So who and what are you?"

"A samurai?" Donnie questioned quietly and thoughtfully before Mikey jumped in front of him excitedly to interrupt his flow of thought.

"We are ninja turtles!" Mikey all but yelled, grinning broadly before getting whacked over the head by all of his brothers.

"Mikey! We are supposed to keep ourselves hidden from people!" Leo hissed.

Mai cocked an eyebrow "Ninja…turtles?" She smiled "How did that happen?"

"Sorry, but we cannot answer your questions" Leo apologized in a rather throatily voice to imitate Captain Ryan.

"Ah…I heard New Yorkers were rude like that" Mai said sighing, getting up and grabbing her bag.

Leo frowned "That's not it, we,-"

"We are not rude!" Mikey yelled to her and then turned to his brothers whispering his words in haste "What are you doing?! She could be our awesome new friend!"

Donnie scowled his younger brother, whispering just as fiercely "Mikey, remember the last time you tried to befriend a human? He tried to kill us?!"

Leo and Raph came to stand closer, Leo agreeing with his tall sibling "That's right, who knows, she might be in with the Shredder, just like Dogpound"

"Don't you mean like Karai, Leo?" Raph commented snarkily.

A vein popped up on Leo's forehead before he continued with his reasoning "That's _exactly_ why we can't afford to make that mistake again"

Raph snorted "Just because your girlfriend turned out that way, doesn't mean she is too"

Donnie and Leo stared at their temperamental and often judgmental sibling in shock, while Mikey was quick to take advantage of whatever caused his two levelheaded elder brothers to fall silent "Exactly! And may I remind you she just took out the _Kraang_ for us? And instead of attacking us just came to say _'hi'_, can't we at least try and show a little friendliness?"

Leo let go of the weird display of defensiveness Raph was displaying for the girl and filed it away to question it later.

He sighed "Fine," and turned around hearing Mikey squeal in excitement, only to find that the girl had gone.

"Hey, where'd she go?!" Mikey exclaimed running to the edge of the building to look around to find nothing. He turned to his brothers, a scowl on his face "Well nice going guys, you all scared her off! Now she'll think we are just a bunch of weird rude ninja turtles!"

"Mikey, we just can't just trust anyone who we randomly meet, they might work for the Shredder" Donnie tried reasoning with their little brother.

"But she defeated the Kraang! She was so cool!" Mikey whined.

"Anyhow, let's get back home, if she does or doesn't work for the Shredder, we can't take the risk of staying here" Leo said, looking sideways towards Raphael who simply kept staring at the alley next to the building.

Though Mikey still complained, the turtles headed back home with extra caution.

* * *

"…and before we knew it, she was gone" Leo finished the story of what had happened with the Kraang and the girl to his father, his sensei, his master.

They were in the living room, standing behind the coach. Donnie was on his homemade laptop, Mikey played on his T-phone and Raphael was busy pounding the shell out of his punching bag. Though the other three seemed to mind their own business, they were listen good enough. This proved to be the case when both Raphael and Mikey spoke up.

"Yeah, because you and Donnie were rude to her!" Mikey exclaimed "Not cool, dudes"

"She might" Punch! "have" Punch. Punch. "been a good ally" Kick!

"We can't be sure of it you guys, look at all that we have been through so far. We simply cannot trust a random person just for being friendly and coming over to say _'hi'_" Leonardo explained again, his voice sounding tired as he had to repeat himself.

"Leonardo," Splinter said to get his attention. His brothers looked up to see what their master and father had to say about this "Though you have made a wise decision Leonardo, this person was kind and polite to you though you too might have been her enemy"

"See!" Mikey jumped up from his seat and pointed to all of them "HA! I knew it!...wait what?"

Donnie frowned "So what you are saying is that we should've trusted her? And what we did was wrong?"

They all looked at Splinter again who stared at the ceiling in thought "Yes…and no."

He looked down, his brows almost furrowing into a scowl as he spoke each word with emphasis "Though it is wise not to ever trust strangers in a time when you are already surrounded by enemies, just like with compassion, you must not forget your _manners_. Especially as this stranger could easily have attacked you during your 'discussion' on the roof and did not"

"Hai, sensei!" Leo said bowing his head.

"Good," Splinter said and turned to return to his room "So the next you meet this Mai…" He looked over his shoulder.

"We will be kind and polite as she had been to us" Leo answered.

As soon as Splinter left Leo turned to his hotheaded brother "So what has gotten you a change of heart?" Leo asked, crossing his arms and cocking a brow.

Repressing an embarrassing blush, Raphael punched his punching-bag with extra vigor "I," Punch! Punch! "haven't" Kick! Punch! "I just thought," Kick! Kick! Punch! "it might be cool," Punch! "to have a Kraang Slicing" PUNCH! PUNCH! "Samurai warrior as an ally" Kick! He finished and looked at the skeptical looking Leo in the eye "Wouldn't you?"

Leo stared for a moment, his other two brothers busied themselves, feeling that they might start fighting again and not wanting any part of it.

Raph stared back, not giving any indication he had any other reason for his defending the stranger.

"Whatever" Leo finally said, dropping his suspicions for now, seeing as he wasn't going to get anything from staring at Raphael in the eye.

Relieved his sibling let the subject go for now, Raph returned to training before going to his room to get some shut eye, only to end up to keep seeing the girl named Mai over and over again before falling asleep. Thinking how cool she was. If he had any poetic or romantic bone in him, he might have called her as smooth and graceful as water.

* * *

SEVERAL WEEKS LATER

They hadn't seen or heard of Mai ever since that night on the roof. In fact, they had completely forgotten her existence altogether. Every single one of them, except for Raphael.

He had thought many times of her, secretly hoping to see her again when they went out to patrol, investigate, fight, eat.

He would fantasize many times what he could say to her, how she would react. Often his fantasies would lead him to think they would end up sparring, tasting each other's steal, sharing techniques, becoming a team of utter bad-assness and coolness. And then…maybe…

Raphael blushed. Hiding his face behind his comic book he had been reading before his thoughts led him to Mai again.

He suddenly understood all too clearly the awkward feelings his younger brother Donnie had and could sympathize with him a bit more.

A bit, since he still considerate his lanky brother to be an ultra-nerd who would never have a shot with April, while he on the other hand was cool, tough, brave, strong and confident. Therefore he would never screw up as badly as Donnie. He just couldn't.

The only problem here in was, was the absence of the girl of his dreams.

Suddenly all their t-phones started to ring with a text.

"Did everyone else got a text from April saying there has been another mutant sighted on her site?" Donnie asked reading the text like everyone else.

"Yup" Everyone responded.

"And it has been chasing her and that she is now stuck in an alley in midtown?"

"yup"

"LET'S GO!"

As his brothers moved smoothly, Raphael looked at his pet. Trying to communicate with his eyes to the silent being his hopeful thoughts and wished before he moved, running after his brother's. _'Maybe she will show up this time'_

As the four were sprinting to the vaguely described alley, Donnie's T-phone rang with April's ringtone, answering it hastily "April?! Where are you?! Are you okay?!"

His brother's followed extra closely, trying to hear the conversation.

[Donnie! I'm fine, some girl appeared and saved me!]

"A girl?" Donnie asked, disbelief colored his voice.

Raphael felt his heart do a little skip._ 'Could it be Mai?' _

[She scared the mutant off, but it managed to hit her with its shooting spikes! She suddenly fell to the ground and is really hurt!]

"Then the spines might've been toxic! Be careful not to touch any of it!" Donnie said "Tell me where you are"

Though his younger brother seemed somewhat relieved that the danger for April had passed, Raphael was more than worried about the possibility of that girl being Mai and dying.

Once getting a proper location, they hurried, but not enough to Raph's taste. His brother's exchanged glances as their temperamental brother took the lead growling under his breath with irritation.

Arriving, they found April crouching next to the female samurai they had met weeks ago.

"That's…" Leo said landing next to Raph who was already hurrying to the girl laying on the ground.

"Mai," Raph said, finishing his elder brothers sentence and calling to the girl in one go.

Donatello and Michelangelo landed next to Leo.

Mikey's eyes went wide as he looked at the girl "Dude…"

All though they were confused by Raph's sudden change in attitude, they ignored it upon seeing the girl. She looked the same, other than sweating and groaning silently as she lay helpless on the dirty ground. She looked the same, except for the many needle like spikes sticking all over her right arm.

"Donnie" Leo said his name with meaning and Raph backed up a few steps, feeling their worried eyes shifting from Mai to him and to Mai again.

Donatello rushed over to her, checking her signs "I was right, whatever that mutant was, it has a very powerful toxicant packed in those spines" Donnie pointed to more of the Spikes lying around on the ground "But I can't help her here," He looked over his shoulder to Leo.

Who sighed and said "Let's take her back with us then, Raph, you carry her"

Donatello grabbed a couple of the spines on the ground and put them safely away, turning to carry April.

Though he still found the process of it all too slow, Leo had done Raph unknowingly huge favor. Gently picking her up, Raph spoke quietly to her "Hang on, Mai,"

"M…" She tried speaking, her voice weak "M-my…ba..g" He turned to see the black hockey stick bag lying on the ground near a couple of trashcans.

"Mikey, grab the bag" He ordered Mikey, who willingly grabbed it and groaned in surprise when it weighed heavier then he expected, but swung it over his shoulder anyway.

This time his brothers got the clue and hastily returned to the lair with April tagging along.

"Is she going to be okay?" Mikey asked quietly, hugging the giant black bag he took with them for Mai. The young turtle's blue eyes full of concern as Raphael laid her on the couch and Donatello already rushing to his lab.

"I'm going to do my best Mikey" He said and disappeared.

"I'm going to help Donnie, you guys take care of her" April said and disappeared after Donatello.

"Okay, Mikey, you get some blankets" Leo told his younger brother who immediately complied "Raph," Leo turned to see his younger sibling gently put a cushion behind her head "I'm going to get some bandages and water, you stay… and removed the spikes from her arms"

Again, Leo had done Raph a huge favor, even if it was unnoticed. As his brother's disappeared to their given tasks, he quickly grabbed a pan from the kitchen, filled it with water and returned to remove the spikes.

As he kneeled down and began working on her arm, Mai's good arm and hand came to shakily touch his face "D…dõm..o," Mai thanked him quietly.

His heart did a flip-flop "No problem," He said almost just as quiet, grabbing her good hand gently and held it for a moment "just hang in there, Donnie's going to cure you any moment now"

Her lips twitched upward again, her head falling to the other side of the couch and her hand going limp in his.

* * *

**Authors comments:**

Since I'm still new here on FanFiction it took me awhile to figure out to upload/submit any of my stories here. I had a problem figuring out how to add a chapter and all that and also how to make those nice little bar thingies between time changes and everything. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it so far!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMNT (teenage mutant ninja turtles).

**One Purpose  
**

Chapter 2

"DONNIE!" Raphael shouted "You better hurry up!"

Donatello had been able to pinpoint the toxic and now hurriedly was making the antidote "I'm working as fast as I can!" He shouted back as he poured the last of the mixture into another glass tube with shaking hands and put it in the oven.

"Well work harder, or else she isn't going to make it!" Raph yelled.

Ignoring his elder brother, Donnie focused on the matter at hand "I can't belief she is alive to begin with…" He muttered looking at the results he found on the toxin.

"What do you mean?" April asked looking at him worriedly.

He turned to look at her as he explained "Well, whatever it is that attacked you, the toxins in the spines could have killed an elephant with only one - she should already be dead"

April felt a pang of guilt and looked to the ground. If only she was able to do more…

Seeing her even more concerned face, Donnie quickly tried to cheer her up in a panic kind of manner "But she might have some immunity to it already, so that would explain that~! Hahaha!"

The oven was done, and he quickly put the antidote into a mixer – Raphael shouting for them to hurry the shell up - and hastily ran to the living room to find his brothers and master hovering over the pale looking girl.

April followed behind him as Donatello bend over to inject her with the antidote.

"Her breath is so shallow" April commented as she observed the girl. She could barely see Mai's chest move "I hope it's not too late…"

In order to tend to her wounded arm, they had to remove the denim jacket, and as they had done so, they discovered that in the jacket were weights – they weren't too heavy for the material to ever rip, but it was heavier than any normal jacket would be…

Also, though many of the spines penetrated the flesh of her right arm, most were stopped by even more weights strapped around both her upper and lower arm.

Raphael had also removed the belt that was strapped just beneath her breasts to make breathing more easy for her, discovering a small compact little bag on her back and the knife.

Without all the material covering and now in brought light, they all could clearly see her and all the scars she had.

They were really old, fainted with time and would be barely visible in the dark. But Raphael could see them now and wondered where they must've come from.

"She is strong, both in body and in spirit" Splinter said, answering April, but putting his hand on Raphael's shoulder who hadn't even blinked until that moment and looked back up to his father. He was still holding her left hand with which she touched his face.

"She will heal, but it will take time."

"Hai, sensei" Raphael said and looked back to her face.

After a moment of silence, the girl's slight color returned to her face and sighed, finally breathing normally.

She was still wearing her sunglasses and he wondered if it was okay to take them off so he could fully see her sleeping face, hoping she would look peaceful.

"April, do you want us to take you home?" Leo asked, now that the danger for the girl was over, they could concern themselves with their friend.

"Are you kidding?" April asked, almost shocked "She saved my life, I'm going to stay here so I can help her get better"

"But what about school?" Donnie asked.

"I can call in sick" She said with determination "it wouldn't be a first"

"Well, if that's what you want April" Leo said, shrugging and looking at his Master who simply nodded the permission.

"Hey guys, look at this!" Mikey suddenly exclaimed, and they all turned to see him open the hockey stick bag, revealing a huge Katana in its midnight black sheath.

There was an audible 'wow' coming from all the teens except for the master and unconscious girl.

"That thing is huge! How could someone wield a thing like that?" Leo asked in wonder as he jumped to stand next to Michelangelo to admire the huge sword.

"Michelangelo, Leonardo, put that sword back immediately!" Splinter ordered, his voice stern.

"But sensei, we just,-" Leo began, but was cut off.

"A samurai's Katana is no toy, you do not simply take it and drool over it without the proper respect to its owner." Splinter said gravely to all of his students, a slight scowl dragging over his features.

"Huh, what?" Mikey blinked in confusion.

Splinter sighed deeply "In other words, you don't touch someone else's property without permission"

"oh" Mikey said, zipping the Katana back into the hockey stick bag.

"Yeah, besides," Raphael said darkly, standing up and fisting his hands, his anger boiling "Shouldn't we be looking for the monster who did this?" And he pointed to Mai "I say, let's find the creep and smash its face so hard it doesn't even know what hit him!"

"I can stay here and take of her while you go," April offered.

The three other brothers looked at each other for a moment.

"Let's go then" Leo said, a confident smile on his face.

As they left, Raphael glanced over to the girl, silently promising that he would pound the creep to the next dimension who did this to her.

He thought he did so unnoticed, but his father wasn't blind nor a fool. Seeing his second eldest son leave, he stroked his long thin beard thoughtfully.

April refreshed the bowl of water, using a cloth, she put the material into the water and squeezed out the extensive amount of water out of it and laid it over the girls forehead.

"Where do you think she came from, Master splinter?" April asked, interrupting the rat-man's thoughts.

He looked at her "It doesn't matter where she came from, April. The important thing is that where she is now"

"Huh?" April looked at him questioningly "What do you mean by that?"

Splinter sighed, putting his hands behind his back "What I mean to say is, that at this very moment, it doesn't matter who or what she is or where she came from, but that we should be thankful for her presence today, if not, it might have been you lying on this couch."

April frowned and then looked at the hairy rat face "So, what you are saying is, that we should consider us lucky that she is here?"

"Yes," Splinter replied and looked at the sleeping girl. Her color had now fully returned and her breathing was steadying out "And perhaps it is very lucky she found us as well…"

"Master Splinter…" April begun looking at her hands.

He turned his attention to April again, cocking a brow "Yes?"

"I don't know…" April sighed, her face contorted between angst and worry. She felt her guilt rising up "I was just thinking that, with all the scares she has…she must have fought for her life many times right?"

Splinter smiled somewhat gingerly "Your concern is not only of that of this girl, now is it April?" Splinter touched her shoulder lightly with his hand "If your concern is about how much you are willing to go in a fight, the choice is always yours. There is always a way to choose flight instead of fight, even if it seems hopeless" He straightened up again and gestured to the girl "The scares she bears are the choices she made to stay and fight -whether they were wise or not. Like the new scares she will have now for saving you, is a choice all of her own"

"I understand" April bowed her head slightly. Feeling a bit better now "Thank you, Master Splinter"

* * *

"So, do you like her or what?" Leo asked Raphael as they followed the traces of what Mikey had named 'Toxic-Stinger' through the filthy dark alleys.

"What?!" Raph, tried repressing his blush and failed "NO! of course not!"

"Looks like someone has a crush on samurai girl" Mikey teased, getting hit over the head by Raph's fist who was breathing rapidly in anger.

"SHUT UP MIKEY!" He growled angrily "So what if I like her?! Go ahead and make fun of it while I go find that thing that almost killed her!" He all but shouted stomping off into the direction which indicated the mutant had gone.

Leo easily caught up with him "We are not going to make fun of you for liking her,"

"We're not?" Both Donnie and Mikey asked in unison.

"No, we aren't," Leo scowled them and turned his attention to his angry younger brother, laying his hand on his shoulder so they stopped walking "Just because you always act childish and annoying about this, doesn't mean we would do the same…in fact, we are happy for you," He looked over his shoulder to the other two "Right guys?"

They nodded, smiling broadly.

Raphael was still uncertain of his brothers blind acceptance and promise of the 'non-teasing-treatment' "But why would you? I mean, I always give you guys such a hard time"

"Nah," Donnie said stepping forward "we all know you are just a big softy on the inside, Raph"

Mikey happily scattered his attention elsewhere as his brothers indulged in conversation, suddenly noticing something lurking in the shadows.

Tapping Raphael on the shoulder "…guys…" He tried, but was ignored.

"I'm _NOT_ a softy!"

The creature appeared to have been crouching and grew taller in the shadows "Guys!"

"Yeah, yeah, we all know you are tough, Raph"

"GUYSSSSS!"

"What Mikey?!" The three asked with slight annoyance to their little brother.

Mikey stepped behind them to cower as he pointed behind his brothers backs "Look!" he squeaked "It's Toxic-Stinger!"

They turned to look behind them just as the creature roared at them.

* * *

They came home, beaten and battered. They were lucky that none of them got stung by one of the toxic spines shouting from the creatures tail. As Donnie had pointed out, Toxic-Stinger had apparently been some hedgehog who had fused with some thrown away blowfish.

It had chased them all over the place, beating them up in the process and almost badly injuring Mikey. The thing had been crazy fast.

"Guys!" April exclaimed, running toward them as they entered the lair "Are you all alright?!"

"We're fine, April" Leo mumbled painfully, wincing as he walked over to the couch and sat down.

"Fine?! We're FINE?!" Donnie shrieked in a mild form of hysteria "That thing almost killed us, Le-o! How are we fine?!"

Raphael was supporting Mikey and brought him to sit on a beanbag who muttered an 'ow, ow, owww' quietly.

"Calm down, Donnie," Leo said in an overly tired voice "We made it home safe, that's what counts"

Donatello grumbled, but let it go.

"Yeah, but Toxic-Stinger is really dangerous, Leo. What if it hurts somebody?" Mikey asked worriedly. He was naturally worried about the potential human friends he had yet to meet.

"We'll think of something tomorrow, Mikey. But right now we need some rest" Leo said and eyed Raph who had walked over to the girl on the opposite side of the couch and sat down in front of her. Raph was tougher than they were, even if his wounds would have been greater, it didn't affect him as much as it would them.

And yet he looked more battered then them at this moment.

Very gently, Raphael took her left hand in his, her hand so much smaller than his since she was human.

April who had been helping his brothers mend their wounds, came to do the same for Raphael. Her eyes looked worried as she observed the often sarcastic and hard looking turtle.

"She is going to be fine" April whispered gingerly, as she sat down next to him on the floor and opened the first-aid-kit "Here, lets clean up those wounds"

Accepting April's help to clean out the fairly deep gashes and bandages his wounds, Raphael continued to watch Mai sleep.

He was a little relieved to see her look better than she did before he left, but he was mad at himself for failing his promise, for failing his brothers.

Master splinter appeared a short while later, just as April finished tying the last bandage around his arm.

They told him what happened, his advice being the same as Leo's. Rest now, fight tomorrow.

After a few more moments discussing the problem and 'resting', they retired to their rooms to sleep – April sleeping in the guest room they had created for her when she first needed a place to stay – until only he and Leo were left.

"You okay, Raph?" Leo asked. He had been standing ready to leave to go to his own room, but stood nailed to floor as he worried about his younger sibling.

Raph sighed. "Yeah" He stood, knowing Leo wouldn't leave him alone until he gave any sign that he would return to his room too "what a day, though"

Leo walked over to his brother, laying a hand on Raph's shoulder. Raphael looked over his shoulder, seeing his elder brothers soft smile "We'll get him next time" Leo said quietly.

Finally, at that thought, the corners of Raph's mouth turned upward "Next time"

* * *

Morning came.

And so did utter soreness. All four woke more broken then healed, though they were used to getting pummeled and pushed to the very limit, they might need a little bit more time before they could go after Toxic-Stinger that day.

So when they gathered in the living room to find the couch empty, they stared with wide eyes and open mouths at the girl doing one armed push-ups with her bandaged arm.

Sweat creased her brow as she was counting the times she went down to face the floor and up again, her right arm shaking with the effort it took while it was being brutally abused by its owner. The white of the bandages had turned crimson, a sign her wounds had opened up once more.

April appeared behind them, yawning "Good morning…" at the lack of response and looked passed them to see what they were staring at "What's going on?" She asked before she also witnessed the girl in the middle of the room.

April too fell silent.

None of them knew what to say as they watched her. Some of them thought of stopping her, to tell her she must rest. But how do you approach someone who looked so…so…focused and determined?

At the moment Leo suggested someone stopped her due to the blood trickling down her arm, the girl finished her push up and pushed herself up right, stretching her arms.

"Good morning" Mai said, turning her head in the direction of the turtles and the single human girl standing next to them "April was it?" She asked.

April blinked, surprised "Y-yeah" She looked at her friends and back to the girl "Are you alright? Your arm…"

"It'll be fine" The girl turned to them and them "Thank you. All of you"

"No problem" Leo said, bowing.

"Yeah, thanks for saving April" Donnie said, bowing also dragging Mikey down with him into his bow.

April bowed too.

Raphael was frozen. He hadn't anticipated this. He had thought she would still be lying down unconscious on the couch, where he could idle over her, preparing himself mentally and emotionally to talk to her.

Leo straightened up, followed by the others and smiled apologetically to her "And we are sorry for being so rude to you on the roof the other time, it's just that we have to be careful who to trust"

Mai raised her hand to stop any further apologies "I can relate to such a thing, the world is indeed a dangerous place" She said, her lips softly twitching up in an understanding smile. She sighed, letting her and slip back to her side "Sadly enough, it seems it becomes more dangerous every day"

"Yeah tell me about it!" Mikey complained loudly "All those mutants, alien robots and the foot…oh! And don't forget the purples dragons!"

"Really? You're keeping the purples dragons as the worst of them?" Donnie questioned his little brothers sanity.

"The Foot?" Mai asked in a low tone, dragging their full attention to her – even unfreezing Raph for the moment "What do you know about them?"

* * *

**Authors comments:**

So the first two chapters are out! Yaay~! Though it will take a while before I will upload a third (sorry) since it gets a little complicated. Especially since they need to learn how to trust each other and I need to figure out how to make Raph and Mai 'click' and interact - since she is a little older then the turtles...


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMNT (teenage mutant ninja turtles).

**One Purpose**

Chapter 3

"That they are pure Evil!" Mikey exclaimed "Every time we think we beat them, they come back and,-!"

Mikey was stopped by Raphael putting him in an arm-lock and covering his mouth "Shut it Mikey" He muttered, scowling him. This wasn't the time to be spilling information, even if he believed – or hoped – Mai would be on their side.

"Why do you want to know about the foot clan?" Asked Leo, finding it hard not to sound suspicious. For all he knew, she was still an enemy, and saving April had just been a trick…but still Mai almost died, would anyone go that far? The eldest turtle wondered.

Mai contemplated telling them her reason, whether to trust them or not. She had a feeling she could, but then came the matter of them still being kids. How could she burden them with her story?

"A good question indeed, Leonardo" Came the deep voice which made all their heads turn to the enormous rat-man standing on the platform behind the water.

"Master Splinter" The teens said surprised – one being muffled by a hand.

For a split second, Mai had been tense to fight, but relaxed as she realized it wasn't him.

Splinter nodded to his sons – Raphael quickly letting go of Mikey – and turning to the girl "But first, let's aid your wounds once more"

With that, the tense atmosphere had disappeared, if not some of it. Splinters presence making it easier for the teen to relax.

When everyone was settled in a seat and Mai's wounded right arm was treated once more, Splinter asked the question while offering her some tea.

"Now then, perhaps you could answer our question as to why you have an interest in the Foot?" He asked politely, his sons and April waiting with anticipation.

Mai took a sip of her tea "It is a matter of Duty and Honor, Splinter-san. My reason for being here is to avenge my Master, who was killed by Oroku Saki"

"The Shredder" Mikey whispered.

"Yes," Mai said, her head bend down in thought. She decided to only tell what they needed to know and leave all of the ugliness to herself "The _Shredder_ had taken the life of my Master two years ago and I have been tracking him since - but it is the first time he has ever shown himself so openly before"

They all stayed eerily silent through the conversation, listening intently. Raphael felt something cringe when she spoke so indifferent about the subject. Shouldn't she be angry that her Master had been killed. At least that was how he would react – he would totally loose it.

But she didn't seem to care in the slightest, like the subject about avenging her Master was of no importance to her and he felt that difference between them.

Master Splinter looked from her to his hands on his staff "Yes, that is because he has only a single minded goal, and that is destruction of my family and myself"

"It seems we have a common enemy," Mai half sighed drinking the last of her tea before standing up rather rigidly "But before I set out to kill Oroku Saki, I must first defeat the creature who has almost made me fail my Duty."

"What?!" All of the turtles exclaimed, almost startling her.

"Are you crazy? That thing nearly killed you!" Raph yelled, pushing himself of the wall he had been leaning on, stepping in front of her unconsciously and using his arms as he kept shouting in his hotheaded manner "It nearly killed us! And now you want to go after it?!"

While he was questioning her sanity, she was putting on her sandals and grabbing her little belt-bag and putting it on.

"Not to mention that you are still injured!" April commented, equally worried.

"Even more after the push-ups thing" Mikey said, using his arms to do 'air-push-ups' to demonstrate the activity he mentioned.

Before anyone else could say any more about the matter, Mai put her hand out to stop them. In it she held her smaller blade which was sheathed.

When they all closed their mouths she put it behind her back and attached it to its holder on the belt-bag while telling them off "This is _my_ fight to regain my Honor - even if it _kills_ me. It is _the way_ of the Samurai. My Master would scowl me if I did otherwise"

They all looked at each other for a moment – particularly Raph and Leo shared the most meaningful of looks – before Leo sighed "If that is what you want, at least wait until dawn so we can show you where we last saw it"

Mai turned her head in the direction of Master Splinter, raising her brow in disbelief "Weren't they trained to be Ninja? Are they not able to lead me to the creature while hiding in the shadows?"

"Hey!" The three eldest of the turtles almost growled, completely offended.

It should have been taken as an insult to a Master of Ninjitsu that someone questioned their training, but it wasn't. Splinter could understand why she did not understand that they couldn't go outside in the daylight.

"Yes they have, but…" Splinter said and contemplated his words "…we are not human. If they get spotted in daylight, it might end worse than you might imagine"

Mai's brow furrowed as she spoke softly, twisting her body way round to completely face Splinter "I already thought something was different" She said, her lips suddenly twitching up in amusement. "Okay, I'll wait. But tell me how"

"Guys, am I the only one who doesn't get what Master Splinter and Mai are talking about?" Mikey asked his brothers who looked equally confused.

"Yes," Master Splinter patted the spot next to him for her to sit down. Mai sighed and sat down. As soon as she did he began with the beginning of his story when he was a human, how he lost everything to the Shredder, how he turned after he bought his now sons at a pet-store by what they now knew were the Kraang and what had happened so far afterward with the Shredders return.

Normally, when the turtles heard the origin of their story, they didn't feel inclined to listen as carefully as they did now, especially Raphael. But they were very intend on Mai's reactions, who took all of it in very calmly, not interrupting Splinter once with a question.

She just listened.

Raphael liked that, he didn't know exactly why, he just thought how nice it was if someone would just listen like that.

As soon as Splinter was done talking, the group of teens leaned in closer, waiting for her response.

"Okay," Mai said, summarizing what splinter had told her "so you were actually human, but was turned into a giant rat by some alien robots with brains-things in them called the 'Kraang' through a mutagen which you called the 'ooze'…" Master Splinter nodded and Mai continued, this time her direction towards the turtles, pointing at them even "And these are your sons, who were technically just pet turtles, but also got mutated, who you trained to be ninja and fight the other mutants accidentally or purposefully created by the mutagen, saved the world more than once from the Kraang and they are no older then fifteen?"

Again, Master Splinter nodded.

"Wow, and I always thought I was the weird one" Mai said, showing them for the first time a full blown grin. Raphael needed to look away, he felt like his heart had just been squeezed.

"See!" Mikey shouted, jumping up in excitement "I knew humans would accept us!"

"Mikey, just because one other human accepts us, doesn't mean the rest of the world would too" Donnie told sternly, making Mikey pout.

"So you don't find us weird? Or freaky?" Raph asked, seriously doubting the blind acceptance – while he on the other hand had been especially nervous about how she would react to the discovery that they weren't wearing costumes "I mean, look at Mikey" He said, gesturing to his younger brother who gave him his typical offended 'hey!' shout.

Mai burst with laughter, startling them – except for their master of course. All of them still big white eyed from surprise, she quietly chuckled "You haven't noticed? That's so _not_ ninja like of you, boys"

They shared confused looks with each other.

"Notice what, exactly?" Leo asked her.

Mai lower her head, pushing down her sunglasses some, revealing her scarred eyes that were all white "That I'm blind" She said, amusement still curling her lips upward in a tiny smile.

There was a long pause.

"Dudddde," Mikey exclaimed in amazement "that makes you even so much cooler – just like Mr. Murakami"

"But how do you manage to fight?" Donnie questioned, thinking of all the limitations and inconveniences came along with losing one's ability to see.

"I wasn't trained to fight with sight, I was trained to fight without it" Mai explained, interrupting Donnie's flow of thought. "I was blinded at the very beginning of my training, so I was taught to 'sense' my enemy. It is why that even though I can't see you, I can still 'sense' your presence in the way you breath, the way you move…"

"That is very impressive, Mai" Leo began "Could you, if it isn't too much to ask, show us your Katana? How you use such a sword?"

Mai's soft little smile widened to a wolf like grin leaving Raphael with the impression she enjoyed a good fight just like him "I will, later, when we find the creature"

* * *

"Why don't you go talk to her?" Leo asked when they were leading the way to where they last saw Toxic-Stinger.

Raphael looked over his shoulder cautiously, seeing Mai jump and run after them. To him her rough and bold moves to avoid hitting or falling down the buildings were unbelievably graceful. Especially with that huge katana hid in the hockey bag swung so casually over her shoulder.

Raph looked back to watch his large feet work the buildings, embarrassment making it hard for him to speak "I…can't"

"Why not?" Leo questioned, cocking a brow "This is so not like you, Raph. You never hesitate with anything"

"Well," Raph bit out, sneaking another glance over his shoulder seeing her land on the roof top and sliding down to jump again in that rough and bold manner. Raphael looked back again "I just can't" He snapped angrily, jumping further ahead taking the lead.

Leo exchanged a look with his other younger brothers who simply shrugged and decided to let it go. It might be better any way to let Raph figure this one out on his own – it wasn't like he was an expert with relationships to begin with, especially with the horrible record he held with Karai.

Raphael was deep in thought about his problem – he hadn't thought he would ever feel this embarrassed about…well, talking to a girl.

All day in the lair he had been thinking about things to say and came out blank. She had spent the day in the dojo, meditating, so everything he seemed to come up with seemed mundane or annoying.

Was this how Donnie felt all the time when talking to April? He suddenly felt incredibly sorry and guilty thinking of all the times he teased his dorky brother. If he knew having a crush on someone would be,-

Wait…..

Did he have a crush on Mai?

"Hey"

Raphael almost hit the side of a building if she didn't grab his hand and drag him with her up the building. They continued running and Raph barely keep his pace.

"Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you like that" Mai apologized, again the tiny smile on her lips.

"N-no problem" Raph choked - cursing himself on the inside for his lameness at the moment while simultaneously trying to calm himself enough so he could act like he wanted to "Uhm…wassup?"

Mai who was blind seemed to lay her attention up ahead "I wanted to thank you"

Raphael found himself more confident suddenly "What for?" He asked, sounding surprised.

"For staying with me" She replied.

Raphael might have fallen from a building again if Leo didn't notify them "We're here" He said.

The alley down below was dark, its shadows creeping up the building and cloaking it with silence. Chills ran down the teens their spines.

"If you still wish for me to show you how I handle my katana," Mai quietly spoke as she undid the hockey bag from around her katana "You might want to keep this distance while watching, if not," She unsheathed the huge sword and stood on the edge "Sayonara" and jumped down.

"Wait!" Leo tried, reaching out "You shouldn't do this alone!" He called after her, but there was no answer in return.

"Wow," Mikey soft exclaimed "she is _soooo_ cool"

"What should we do now Leo?" Donnie asked, looking down concerned and gulping "We aren't healed enough to face that thing"

"Neither is she" Raph snapped, angry for his brothers hesitation at the moment. He fiercily grabbed his Sai's - he might not be able to talk to her, but he was more than able to fight. "So I'm going, whether you guys are coming or not!" He growled, walking to the edge want to jump down.

Leo grabbed his shoulder "Wait, Raph!"

Shaking of the hand, Raph looked over his shoulder, an angry impatient scowl set on his features "What?"

"Think about this, she is a Samurai." Leo reasoned hastily to keep his temperamental brother with him " I'm not saying we shouldn't help her, but you saw how determined she was to fight for her Honor, us intervening will only bring shame on her"

Raph growled. Leo was right and he knew it. He turned to face his leader "Then what are you suggesting?"

"We let her fight, the only choice we have is convincing her to let us help her – that way we won't shame her" Leo said with a stern underlying tone, following it with "but that doesn't mean we will let her die"

Letting out a heavy sigh, Raph accepted this plan. They would get her out, that was the smart thing to do and the only thing they could do for her at the moment.

Feeling the change in him, his brothers collectively relaxed.

"Let's go" Leo said and they went down at the same moment they heard a monstrous roar.

* * *

**Author comments:**

Wow, didn't think I would submit another chapter this fast...perhaps a little less complicated then I thought - lol.  
Anyway, now we are getting to some cool parts ^,^Hope you have enjoyed it thus far!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMNT (teenage mutant ninja turtles).**

* * *

**One Purpose**

Chapter 4

She could sense it, hear it move and though she could not see it lurking in the darkness, she knew it was a creature that would do so. Which would be to her advantage.

Her blindness was the reason why she could never be a ninja, making her unable to pursue the shadows to cloak her from sight. So she stood firm and not in hiding, simply waiting for the creature to launch. If she were to fight this thing, it would only present a single problem - that it was nothing she had ever dealt with.

Mostly, when fighting people or animals, Mai could spare their lives, for she knew where and where not to slice them to pieces.

But this creature was not a regular animal, it was a deformed monster spawned from a world that was beyond her imagination. So her only option was to kill the creature.

Not that she felt any guilt or doubt with the idea of taking its life since Toxic-Stinger quite literally almost ended hers.

Mai waited, she could almost _feel _its paws move slowly on the dirty ground with precision and consideration, before ever so slightly putting its weight on them to move into a better crouching position. Its breath was shallow, low, as it concentrated on its prey.

Her free hand had slowly began to move and clasp around the leather handle of the knife on her back. The alley was too narrow for her to actually use her katana, Mai would have to lure the beast into the park on the other side of the road.

With that goal in mind, her grip tightened and the creature finally launched out of hiding, planning on biting her head clean of her shoulders.

When his giant teeth minced only air as its jaws loudly slapped together, the creature suddenly felt tremendous pain shoot through the left side of its face and roared.

Mai backed away, feeling blood seep onto her hand from the blade, slightly grinning satisfied when she realized she must have hit its eye.

That should be enough to entice the creature to follow out of the alley…

It was then she heard the silent, but hasty, footfall of large feet coming down the alley walls.

"Mai!" Raphael exclaimed when he saw Toxic-Stinger prepare for another attack. He and his brother moving fast to help her out.

Mai would have told them to back off if the creature hadn't pinned her to the ground. Mai groaned under the weight and manage to stab the hissing Toxic-Stinger unbeknownst in its chest, unable to pull it back out.

A fierce howl escaped the creature's throat and he tossed Mai away from under him, leaving the blade stuck in its chest.

The pain sent Toxic-Stinger into a frenzy, shooting its spines from its tail through the alley. The turtles managed to avoid them, distracting the creature from its main target. It was somewhat easier to fight now, having lost at least half its sight and hurt.

Raphael was quick to go stand protectively in front of Mai as she got to her feet "I thought" She breathed, her voice growing in fierceness "I made it clear this is a matter of _Honor_, that you should leave me to handle this _on my own_" Mai almost growled angrily.

Raphael might not have been an expert when it came to talking to girls he liked, but oh, he was an expert in having heated arguments.

His temper boiled thick and fierce as he got in her face with his feisty attitude "Now you listen,_ Mai!_" He growled, poking his finger into her collarbone "The heck with your honor! It's stupid to think you should die for stuff like that! What use does it have if it gets you killed?! I don't give two shells whether I have your permission or not to save your butt! You understand?!"

Mai didn't say a word.

She never actually had much contact with the outside world and the little she had so far was with old men and women set in a time period where tradition reigned and honor was bound. And so, hearing what another part of the outside world thought of her ideologies truly shocked her.

To have it viewed upon by a teenager trained to also follow his line of tradition and honor and then calling it _dumb_ and not respecting it, simply made her head twirl.

"Finally" Mikey said with relief while avoiding another round of spines being shot at them "Raph is acting like himself again"

"You noticed?" Donnie questioned incredulously, jumping over the creatures tail as it swung and hit the wall.

"Well _yeah_, he hasn't yelled at any one for hours!" Mikey replied, swinging his nun chucks at the creature.

"Guys, can you _please_ focus?" Leo asked annoyed while holding back a claw.

"I…I,-" Mai stuttered.

Raph's tone softened somewhat and laid his hand on her shoulder as he continued "So if it isn't too much to ask of your Honor, come help us out"

Mai didn't respond.

To _not_ follow tradition, to _not_ follow the way of the sword, it made her head hurt just thinking about it. Her honor was all she had left and once she fulfilled her last duty as a samurai, that would be _it_ for her.

There was a loud explosive sound, the creature howled and Raphael's brothers made a collective groan.

Raphael and Mai turned their attention towards the back of the alley, where the three turtles lay on the filthy ground, groaning and beaten.

Toxic-Stinger stood on its hind legs ready to give them the final blow.

"Guys!" Raphael shouted and bolted forward to stop the creature. Raph prepared for the blow as he jumped in front of his brothers, not sure if he would survive it.

Mai was completely stunned by how weird that boy was. One moment he is shouting that honor was nothing and yet he stood there, protecting his brothers nobly, even if it cost him his own life in doing so.

How would a mere boy ever understand that her honor was everything she had and yet, jump in front of his brethren to sacrifice himself? Mai wouldn't be able to figure that out now.

That feeling of sacrifice awakened something deep down inside of Mai.

She clenched her teeth.

Even without her sight to aim, the creature was large enough and her katana was large enough to be thrown with a strength that reopened her wounds in her right arm.

It hit Toxic-Stinger in the chest, right next to the sore wound, making the creature miss its target. The creature stumbled backwards as Mai propelled herself forward to grab her Katana. They were still young – though it might only be a few years – they still had to learn how cruel the world was to those who are innocent.

"Mai" Raphael breathed as she stood before him.

"Get your brothers out of the way" She demanded, her voice indicating that any further discussion was not an option.

Grumbling, he complied, using Mikey's Kusarigama to drag his brothers behind a garbage container while Mai stood ready to run and lure the creature with her to the park.

Recognizing her now for who she was and what she had done to him, the creature roared furiously, spinning around itself with incredible speed to fire off the spines on its tail.

Mai dodged, summersaulting backwards, reaching the end of the alley as the creature followed her with thundering steps.

Toxic-Stinger followed her over the road and into the park - people who were walking or in their cars driving by, simply stood still for a moment before they either screamed or yelled, running or driving away in utter fear.

Raphael was about to run after her when Leo grabbed his hand "Raph…wait" Leo muttered and groaned while getting to his feet "Where are you going?"

"I'm going after her! That **stupid** _samurai_ **nonsense** is going to get her killed!" Raphael bit out the words and growled angrily as the rest of his brothers got to their feet – if not somewhat unsteadily.

"Yeah, Toxic-Stinger is just too powerful for her alone" Mikey agreed weakly.

Donnie who was supporting Mikey's weight by holding Mikey's arm over his shoulder looked at his eldest sibling with great concern "What should we do, Leo?"

Leo looked over his shoulder at the park, hearing trees and bushes quiver and shake as they were trampled over by the creature Mai was fighting on her own.

He considered his brothers, the girl, the city and weighed them while Raphael glared at him for taking his sweet time.

Sighing, Leo got his katana's off the ground "I don't see how we have a choice, Toxic-Stinger needs to be stopped regardless if Mai wants our help or not." He told his brothers and turned to grin at them "This is not just her fight"

"Finally" Raphael grinned, smashing his fist into his hand.

Donnie and Mikey getting their own weapons and they were off to fight alongside the samurai, whether she approved or not.

* * *

The creature followed her, deeper and deeper into the park, until Mai had him where she wanted him.

She denied the pain in her arm to affect her speed, and landed swiftly on an open grass field. People who were walking their dogs soon scattered and ran a way in fear when Toxic-Stinger burst from the trees and bushes.

Skittering to a halt and skinning the grass from the ground, Toxic-Stingers began to drool like a dog with rabies as its eyes refocused on Mai.

"Finally" Mai murmured crouching slightly and placing her Katana behind her, her right hand clutching the handle tightly, preparing herself to finish this in one swift strike. She considered her right arm, she truly had only one chance to do this right, because a second strike wouldn't be possible after that.

The moment tensed, the creature felt the change and decided that he might as well try and eat her face again.

Crouching first, Toxic-Stinger launched itself from the ground, dirt flying from underneath its feet. Mai waited until she was sure the creature would be sliced in half by her blade and with a power that came from years of brutal training, she unsheathed her sword with lightning speed.

Her blow was sure to land on the creature, if it was not kicked aside by four mutant turtles jumping out of the bushes, one of them shouting an enthusiastic "Booyakasha!"

To prevent from slicing the turtles in half, Mai had to bend her arm - breaking it - so she would swing her sword the other way.

The girl held back a scream of pain and settled for a load groan escaping her lips. Mai momentarily lost her balance, falling to her knees. Her huge katana had swung round in the air and was now firmly standing upright in the ground as the turtles landed by her side.

Toxic-Stinger had fallen onto its side and slowly stood up while shaking its head, confused as to what had happened, making it even more furious.

"Mai, are you alright?" Raph asked, looking over his shell to see her stand up slowly, holding her croaked looking right arm with her left hand. The blood literally drained from his face when he realized their mistake.

"You got in the way" Mai's low silent tones send chills down their shells.

"Mai, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to,-" Raph began, but was pushed aside by the samurai, who grabbed her katana with her left hand and angrily pulled it from the dirt.

"You want to help?" Mai growled, turning her head as if to look over her shoulder and actually lowering her sunglasses to freak the teens out as her ghostly stare looked where they stood. Mikey gulped.

"THEN STAY OUTTA **_MY_ **WAY!" She screamed furiously at the same time the creature roared, launching to them, making the ground tremble.

As Toxic-Stinger jumped to trample them beneath its large body, the turtles jumped out of the way. Mai turned, her body twisting fast into position. Now that she was more familiar with the size of the creature then she was before, she put her leg out and kicked the creature in the chest, hitting the blade that was still stuck there and pushing it deeper into its body.

The creature shrieked and backed away, growling fiercely.

Even if she wasn't as skilled with her left hand to fight with her katana, it had to do. Mai dragged her sword across the ground to intimidate the creature, to make it aware of its coming demise.

"Wooow," Mikey muttered in awe "Remind me never to get on Mai's bad side guys"

"Mikey, I'm not so sure we aren't already on her 'bad side'…" Donnie informed his younger brother worriedly.

"I think we better back up guys" Leo ordered, while Raphael simply stared, not hearing any of this. He felt like any chance he had with Mai, if there had been a chance at all, was just obliterated to a million little pieces.

"C'mon Raph!" Mikey dragged him away to the bushes, trying snap his older brother out of his daze "We need to get out of here"

Acting more on autopilot than anything else, Raph's body complied while his eyes were glued to the slim figure wielding a huge black blade facing a monster ten times her own size and not being allowed to do anything to protect her.

Mai prepared herself, there was only a slight chance she could end it now – and not trying to think of the reason behind it – settled herself into position as the creature started circling her.

Mai realized he had learned to be cautious around her and was actually trying to figure out when and where the turtles would appear – which would work to her advantage.

Acting on instinct when Mai moved loudly on purpose, the creature focused on her again. Very warily, it circled her one more time before deciding the turtles weren't there anymore at all.

It jumped, attacking her from behind, Mai turned around and jumped underneath it swinging her katana as the creature flew over her.

The blade struck flesh, slicing through bone with incredible power. But it wasn't the clean cut Mai could've made if both her arms had worked, instead the cut was crooked, slicing it in a jagged manner.

With an earsplitting scream of pain, Toxic-Stinger landed unbalanced on the ground behind Mai, its tail in front of her.

Having seen this, knowing what she could've done if she could use both her arms, made the turtles realize something crucial; much like the Shredder, this girl wouldn't hesitate to kill given the chance and, more importantly, that they actually _had_ gotten in her way.

Raph had trouble processing this. He didn't know how he felt about this realization, whether it was in the difference in their strengths or the difference in their beliefs.

Blood seeped from both the tail and the creature, who tried to jump her again. Mai was able to dodge its large form more easily than before, without its tail it was rather clumsy. It tried to swing its large sharp paw at her, but missed, before deciding to run off.

Mai didn't pursue it, not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't fight the beast anymore then it could fight her.

Her body trembled and her knees were shaking, but she was satisfied in knowing that at least now the creature wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anymore with its shooting spines from its tail.

"If you are going to ask me to come along to your home" Mai began while she set down and painfully squeezed out of her jacket "Then I must decline"

The Turtles had appeared next to her with exactly that proposal.

"Why not?" Raph demanded. Since their argument earlier he had regained his attitude.

Mai used her katana that was embedded to the ground for half its length to rip her favorite jacket to pieces and continued on without saying a word while correcting her broken right arm, using the strips of cloth.

The sound of bones being erected was more powerful than anything Mai could've told them. Using the sheath that was attached to her backpack for the smaller knife that was still stuck in Toxic-Stingers chest, Mai placed it around her arm and began binding it.

Raph growled angrily at her silence, clenching his teeth together as something in him snapped "What? We aren't good enough for you or something?! Simply because you have to follow that stupid code of honor of yours?!" No reaction "You are so STUB_BORN_!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, exploding.

Mai was placing the last knot in her bind, when he yelled that at her, making her tie it too tightly. She would have to redo it later.

"Excuse me?" Mai all but spat standing up and walking toward him "How dare you call _me_ stubborn! When _you _kept persisting I do things your way! Disrespecting me and all I stand for!" She growled back, standing so close she was shouting the words in his face.

"Okay, everybody calm down" Leo said holding his hands up defensively and standing between the two.

"I am **_CALM!_**" The two yelled at him.

Leo backed off, seeing he would get burned if he intervened any longer.

Realizing how childish she was acting, Mai inhaled deeply to truly calm herself and stepped back a little "The point is, is that I need to figure out what to do at the moment and I do not belief I can do so at your home…"

She said the last bit more towards Raphael then to the others, which angered him more than he thought it would.

Oh, so it was all his fault for saving her ass? For caring whether or not she died? He was about to fire those words at her when Mikey jumped in to save the day. Or rather, he thought he was doing so.

"That's not true!" Mikey burst out excitedly demonstrating everything what he was saying with his arms "Our home is the ultimate place to chillax and think about problems! Besides, we can help you and you can help us with the whole Shredder problem, right? Oh! And don't forget you need a good place to stay for the time being, so just come with us!"

"Is he always like this?" Mai questioned the other brothers.

They nodded in defeat.

Mai was getting her sheath when Leo gave it a try, since Raph was still fuming, grumbling incoherent words to himself with his back toward the girl "Mai, we" Raph glared over his shell to his brother for using 'we' at the moment. Leo choose to ignore the glare and continued "are sorry for shaming your honor. We didn't mean to and we" another fierce glare "would really want you to reconsider our offer"

"Besides, do you even have a safe place to sleep and rest your arm?" Donatello asked.

Mai had by then grabbed her katana and put it back in its sheath less elegantly then she normally would have. Mai sighed.

It was silent for several moments.

Raphael had by now calmed down enough to realize that he was an idiot for talking to her the way he did. Yet he still had to figure out a way to talk to her without the heated arguments.

"A safe place to stay," Mai suddenly repeated quietly and if they didn't know she was blind, they would have sworn she had been staring at the night sky. "To rest, to think, to eat and sleep" Mai sighed again and turned around to face them, her signature smile on her lips, though it didn't hold any amusement like it did before. Now it seemed more bitter "What you have is a home and that is a place where I do not belong…"

And with that said, she turned on her heel again and started walking in a different direction, her slim weakened figure slowly fading in the distance.

"So I guess that means she isn't going to come with us, huh?" Mikey asked looking at his brothers.

"Well, that was weird" Donnie commented, deep in thought, trying to figure out what she might have meant.

"Either way, we better get going" Leo said, turning around to get going when he suddenly saw that Raphael hadn't moved a muscle.

He stood with his hands clenched into fist and grinding his teeth together in anger, grumbling incoherent words again.

"Raph," Mikey asked cautiously "You okay dude?"

Donnie put a hand on Mikey's shoulder guiding him away from the bomb that was about to explode "I think he needs to be alone for now, Mikey" He muttered.

Having his two younger brothers leave, Leo glanced one last time before following them to head to the lair and leave Raphael alone.

* * *

**Authors comments:**

RELATIONSHIPS ARE COMPLICATED OKAY?! XD  
Especially between people who aren't even the same species :P

Anyway, I hope you are all liking it so far, let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMNT (teenage muntant ninja turtles).

* * *

**One Purpose**

Chapter 5:

"Where are Raph and Mai?" April asked concerned walking up to exhausted teens entering the lair.

"Mai and Raph…"Leo began sighed deeply "Got into a kind of argument, so Raph stayed behind to get his anger out and Mai…well, I think we won't be seeing her for a while"

His other two brothers went to sit on the couch and he followed them with April hot on his tail.

"An argument? About what?" She pressed.

"Mai…" Donnie replied and stopped to choose his words accurately "…has a different _view_ on how to do things then us and that ticked off Raph…a lot"

April frowned "So where is she now?"

"Don't know, she just went up and left us after the fight" Leo answered, hanging his head.

"My sons," Master Splinter entered the room looking at all of them "You have returned, was your mission successful?"

The three teens looked up to their master before they started to explain what had happened.

* * *

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Raphael growled, punching the wall of another building that stood closely next to the building he was standing on. He would have stayed in the park, but hearing the sirens of police cars nearing made him move his body elsewhere – so he ended up on a rooftop.

He didn't have any idea how long he had been there, cursing, kicking and punching at things. How could he be this stupid? To blow up like that and aim the flames of his anger towards the girl he liked.

The sheer thought earned the wall another punch, this time leaving a crack in the brown and red bricks.

Besides, wasn't it also partially her fault? For acting like a moron with a death wish? For being so _stubborn_,-!

"Hey"

Raphael was about to actually punch a hole into the wall when the familiar voice stopped him. Turning, he saw his brother jump onto the same rooftop.

Raph furrowed his brow, glaring at his feet "I want to be alone, Leo"

"I know" Leo sighed and looked around the rooftop and at all the smashed objects before looking back at his hotheaded brother. He was about to relay his message from Master Splinter to him when Raph started to fume.

"She's just so stubborn! It not our fault she wanted to do everything on her own!" He growled furiously, balling his fists.

"Personally," Leo commented after thinking it over "I don't get why you are so upset about this. I mean, we all hardly know her. So what's the point?"

Raphael growled at that. Leo did have a point, but then again he didn't know about how much Raphael felt for Mai – neither did Raphael himself.

"Whatever, just go, I feel staying up here for a while" Raphael said kicking at the wall.

Leo sighed, scratching the back of his head "I didn't come here to talk Raph, Master Splinter send me to come and get you"

Raph raised his brows at that. He knew it was dangers to be on the surface alone, but Master Splinter usually let him blow off steam as long as he needed to. "Why?"

"Because he wants to 'speak' with you" Leo relayed dryly, his patience thinning out. It had been a long day, not to mention the day before that. Leo had just spend the majority of his time explaining to his father what had happened and was send back to retrieve his brother – which proved harder to find then he had originally thought.

After letting abusing the wall one last time, Raphael walked passed his elder brother with a permanent looking scowl on his face "Fine"

And so, the two headed back to the lair, their home, where Raphael would find himself in another bind.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Sensei?" Raphael asked, entering the dojo where their father was meditating under the tree that swirled upward.

Splinter looked up to see the young turtle stand by the door with balled hands – he smiled and gingerly gestured for him to enter further "Ah, Raphael, yes, come sit with me, my son"

Complying, the grumpy teen sat across from his father, glaring at the ground. Splinter regarded Raphael for a moment before speaking.

"Raphael," Splinter began making the teen look up and simultaneously ending Raph's glaring for he was now making eye contact "I heard from your brothers you got into an argument with Mai?" He questioned.

Embarrassment brought Raphael's eyes back to stare at the ground – he knew it was his fault that Mai didn't want to stay with them, but he still felt that this was also partially her fault too, for being so stuck in her stupid pride.

"It's just that she was so stubborn!" Raphael growled, scowling at the ground as he fumed on "You should've seen it, sensei! If she had just let me help her out, if she would've worked together then we would have been done with that stupid mutant in a second,-!"

"Ah," Splinter interrupted, stroking his thin beard as if in thought "So you wanted to be protect her?"

Raph needed to think about that for a second "Well, yeah, I mean,-"

"Did she need your protection?" Splinter questioned.

"Uhm…" Raph's eyes widened as his thoughts strangling him and his tongue tide itself round and round in panic when it slowly dawned upon him "I,-"

"Raphael," Master Splinter interrupted him again before the young turtle would come up with any excuses befitting to his own truth "She is no normal human, she is a Samurai, just as strong as you and your brothers. As Ninja, we are trained to analyze a situation thoroughly before making decisions that may or may not make the situation worse," Leaning down a bit to lay his hand on the teens shoulder, Splinter looked his son in the eye meaningfully "no matter how we feel about the person involved in the situation"

"THEY TOLD YOU?!" Raphael shouted, shooting up and balling his hands he growled angrily "I'm going to smack the green of off them!"

"Raphael," Raph quickly cooled down at the tone his father was giving him. Splinter stood as well, raising an eyebrow at his hotheaded son "Your brothers didn't tell on you, only the blind,-" Splinter stopped in his tracks as Raphael gave him a look at the mention of 'the blind' "My mistake" He chuckled apologetically.

"I screwed up, I know that sensei, I'm sorry" Raph said hanging his head in defeat.

"It is not me who you should be apologizing to, Raphael" Splinter remarked while walking past his son towards his room and gently sliding one door open – Raph followed him with his eyes "If you really like this girl," Splinter said while stepping inside "Then you should make amends" Then he shut the sliding door.

Raphael contemplated the advice giving to him by his father when suddenly very quickly the sliding door reopened, Splinter peering through "And don't forget to respect her decisions or play hero when it isn't needed"

"Hai, sensei" Raphael huffed embarrassed before Splinter shut the door again and he was stomping off to his room to think about how he would try and make 'amends' with Mai.

* * *

The streets were filling with people, people who had homes and jobs and families to attend to. The city began its usual morning hassle accompanied by loud and angry noise.

Most people were too busy with their own lives to pay attention to the new sidewalk attribution that lay barely hidden by the trash containers.

But most people didn't have that much heart for helping people as Jim Hudson did. The middle aged man was walking to his private clinic when he saw the new addition among the homeless.

She lay behind a trash container, clutching a hockey stick bag to her chest with her good arm and protectively lying the other broken one hidden behind it.

He simply couldn't help himself.

"Miss?"

The girl didn't say a word, so he presumed she was asleep. Crouching to gently shake her, he could now see her crooked looking arm.

"Miss? Missss?" He urged, shaking her shoulder.

The girl responded with a groan.

"Come now, you've gotta wake up" Jim smiled, giving her another shake "You won't let an old man like me carry you, now will you?"

Mai woke up feeling like she might have been hit by a truck the other day, the man that was persistently addressing her as 'Miss' and shaking her, was stretching her delicate morning nerves.

"Am I in the way?" She questioned hoarsely, it happened often enough that she would fall asleep somewhere without realizing it was an entrance or an exit of some kind.

"No, no, no" Jim assured her and pulled back his hand from her shoulder as she began to sit up right "But a girl like you shouldn't be living on the street" Jim gave her a stern look and paused for a moment to let the girl get herself together "Your arm, it was broken recently, wasn't it? Did you do try and correct it by yourself?"

The noise of their surroundings, including the man's questions, with Mai's groggy sleepy state was stretching out her nerves even more tightly.

"Come, I'll take you to my clinic to fix that arm of your and get you some breakfast" The man offered chuckling as Mai blushed at the sound of her growling stomach.

* * *

A few days had passed and Raphael, in the way he was, was already back to his normal physical state. He was silently moving through the sewers. He had successfully found a trail and was now in the process of tracking down the creature who left it.

After musing it over in his room while he rested and talking it over with Spike, he came to the conclusion that, if he wanted to make amends with Mai, he would do so by retrieving her blade from the beast.

No one knew what he was doing and it was better that way too – he wanted to do this on his own since it was he who screwed up and so he had to fix it.

The sewer was especially silent, there were no rats or any other critters in the area to make any noise, signaling to Raphael that he was getting close.

Moving forward and hiding in the shadows, he was starting to get closer to his target. Or at least, that was what he thought.

Lurking in the shadow of another large pipe, the creature awoke when something fast passed it by. Recognizing what it was by smell, Toxic-Stinger growled lowly, its thick neck shaking with the vibration. The pain in the creatures chest kept Toxic-Stinger in a constant state of fury, making it very easy to set the creature off in a destructive frenzy.

Raphael heard it and turned to see the creature leap at him, all be it a bit clumsy, he could still simply crush the young ninja by its weight alone.

Barely dodging it, Raph took out his Sai as the beast got back on his feet "And here I thought you would be rotting somewhere and making it easy for me" He grinned with that insane glint in his eyes that lust for battle.

With a roar from both the mutants, they engaged each other with claws and ancient weaponry.

* * *

Mai walked up the stone steps that led to the front door and opened it with her key with her good arm while the other was in a brand new cast. She still had to figure out, how in this situation, she wasn't a hypocrite.

She blamed that old man for being so cunning, for being so undeniably good and kind that she didn't dare refuse his offer.

Hell with that, he downright blackmailed her.

Discovering that she was blind, with no family, passport or a legal pass to stay in the country, he given her two options – either let him take care of her and give her a place to stay, or he would report her and she'd be kicked out of the country.

If Mai had been able to hide herself from sight like a ninja could, she would've laughed at him and run for it.

She did however, try and explain her reason why she was here and told him all about how her Duty and Honor would force her to kill a man.

It didn't faze him a bit.

He simply brushed it off, saying he had no hand in what she planned to do outside the house as long as she didn't drag him into it.

Now here she was, living in the same house as if she was a granddaughter of a man she barely even knew. But Mai had come to realize that Jim was one of those very rare people who were, simply put, _good_.

Even if he did his good deeds somewhat forcefully.

Like how he made her help him out by doing chores or help around the clinic – it had only been a few days, but she found all of these schemes of his very distracting of her original goal; killing Oroku Saki.

She still wasn't any closer than she was before, still walking the streets at night in the hopes of hearing the soft footfall of the Foot ninja roaming around so she could beat some information out of them. But no such luck.

Mai hung her head and sighed while pushing the door open but stopped herself from entering the house.

She heard something familiar landing on the roof coming and turned her blind gaze up to it. Not hesitating for a second, Mai jumped up the roof just as fast, greeting the turtle with a scowl on her face.

"I thought we said our goodbye's?" Mai questioned curtly.

Raphael took a deep breath to calm himself – he didn't expect her to react like that. Also, his body was still pretty sore from the fight he had a few days ago, not to mention the effort he put in tracking her down in those days since the fight and,-

No.

He was here to make amends, not to start another argument. Bowing very formally, he choose his words very carefully, surprising Mai "I came here to make amends for my actions and hope you will forgive me, I didn't mean to offend you"

Inexperienced with someone apologizing _to_ her, Mai's cheeks flushed faint pink "Iya, Iya, please, you do not have to be so…so formal with me" She answered self-consciously – she felt awkward with being treated with so much respect, though it had been what she wanted from the being, receiving in this kind of manner was on none to the girl.

Raphael glanced up and saw her light pink cheeks and then feeling his own face heat up. Standing upright, Raphael grabbed the knife he had retrieved from Toxic-Stinger "I know you would probably wanted to get it back yourself, but…well, I wanted to make it up to you somehow, so here" He held out his large hand clutching around the blade itself, careful not to cut himself.

Mai reach out, sensing where he had stretched out his hand and gently grasping the handle. Her hand tingled and send a warm chill of familiarity through arm to the rest of her body.

They stood like that for a moment before Mai pulled lightly on the knife, Raphael released his grip.

"Dõmo" Mai muttered rather shyly.

"No problem" Raphael replied, grinning slightly as he continued to stare at her unabashedly.

She didn't know how to face the young turtle she thought to be a helpless boy. It amazed her he could pull off such an incredible feat.

"Hey, did you see a doctor or something?" Raphael suddenly interrupted her thoughts when his eyes focused on her brand new and professional looking cast with a rather accusing sounding question. It suddenly dawned on him that she was entering the building they were standing on "do you in live here?" He pointed down to the building, something she didn't see but felt.

Mai slightly cringed "I can explain" she responded hastily which only ticked him off more since it made her sound like she was guilty of something.

Crossing his arms, Raphael turned his skeptical gaze upon her "Fine then, explain how you are _not_ being a hypocrite"

Feeling annoyed herself, Mai felt her own temper rise up again "Could you _stop_ making your own conclusions for once and _listen_ to what I have to say?" She reasoned through her teeth.

A vein popped angrily on Raph's forehead and before she knew it he was back in her face growling "I could, but then again, why would I when you are the one who kept going on and on about how you didn't need anybody's help and yet, here you are, standing on top on some fancy looking apartment with your arm healing nicely due to you going to a hospital for hel,-"

"And here I thought you wanted to make amends" Mai muttered, more to herself than towards Raphael. She sounded sincerely disappointed, bringing Raph down from his flare of anger.

"I'm sorry" Raphael apologized quickly and took a step back from her "I didn't mean to snap at you like that…I have…trouble with controlling my temper" He admitted ashamed.

Mai had trouble deciphering what to say to that, she too got angry, but it seemed it was linked with his.

The silence, that was filled with background noise of the fast city, continued on.

Raphael felt like he was going to explode again, but this time with frustration and insecurity rather than just anger, when finally, Mai spoke in those low quiet tones of hers "I understand, I will try to be considerate then"

Raphael exhaled a breath he had been holding "yeah.." he answered lamely before continuing in a tone much closer to his normal sassiness "And then I will try and not be so…judgmental all the time"

The two smiled, they were both such idiots.

"So tell me, how did you end up here?" Raphael asked, more curious now then he was before.

Mai suddenly realized she left the front door open "Oh, could I tell you about that later?" She asked sounding apologetically.

Raph held his tongue for a moment. Inhaling a calming breath, he answered normally "Yeah sure"

His heart made a little flipflop at the bright smile she was giving him "Dõmo" Mai thanked him with a slight bow "I will see you tomorrow again? Same time, same place?" She pointed to the roof to be sure he got what she meant.

"Uh…uhm…sure" Raphael stuttered.

"Okay, see you tomorrow then" Mai grinned and got down to the front door. She still needed to do some chores before Jim got home, but was glad to meet with Raphael again and talk things out.

Raphael had turned to stone for a couple of minutes, realizing he sort of had a date with Mai tomorrow, right? Could he call it a date?

* * *

**Author comments:**

Pfffffft! Going back and forth between characters is like a puzzle! Fitting and refitting until the image is right. Anyway, from here the rollercoaster ride will really start to climb up to the highest point before crashing down the whole ride. XD

I hope you like the chapters so far, let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMNT (teenage mutant ninja turtles).

**One Purpose**

Chapter 6

"How's the arm?" Jim's asked, his warm tones filling the hallway as he closed the front door behind him and hung up his coat.

It was about 1 a.m. and he just came home from work. He grinned when he saw the girl sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the living room with one hand gently laid on one knee while the other hung in a sling.

Apparently she felt the need that the couch and coffee table had been in the way of her using his fancy Chinese rug for her meditations.

Mai didn't answer, deep in her trance, and the middle aged man simply smirked – this was the ninth time he had come home to this; the girl had a habit of turning his designer living room upside down for her 'feng shui' nonsense as he preferred to call it. Not that he minded that much though, he found it highly amusing.

It was definitely better then coming home from work and having to feel that void that the large building seemed to echo throughout every crack and cringle.

Jim had been married once, something Mai didn't know because she didn't have the ability see, so she never questioned the golden enlaced with silver ring on the man's finger.

Though it didn't have the tragic story most people would think it had when they saw the ring and heard there wasn't a woman that bared the same ring any longer. But it still stung and left the man with a terrible heartache every time he had to explain.

In many respects, Jim was a loving, caring and generous man, who treated people with respect and dignity no matter who they were or what they did. He didn't smoke, seldom drank and never did any illegal drugs. He never forget birthday's or to say 'I love you'. He was even an exceptional good lover in bed.

And yet his wife left him for another.

If there was one major flaw in Jim's life, it was his passion to help others, eventually making him a workaholic.

No, he never forgot birthday's - he would preorder a gift and send them to the person with a postcard saying he got trampled at work again and wished them a nice day. It was the same with his wife.

Whenever he came home from work, he would spend his last few hours behind his laptop, working to email or file away things that he found too important to leave until morning before going to bed, leaving his wife to find herself falling asleep alone and waking up alone again.

It was no wonder that after years and years of neglect, his wife found someone who did give all his love and attention to her only and left him.

Though Jim recognized his fault in what happened, he never would've thought that the love of his life would abandon their vows to run away with another.

It had been years since then and still the man loved her with all his heart, silently praying every night, hoping for her to one day return so he could prove himself a worthy husband.

But these thoughts didn't roam his mind when entering his house nowadays, for he found himself distracted by the amusement the adolescent was giving him with her bizarre foreign mannerisms.

"Mai," He called over his shoulder while he walked down the hallway to the dining room, undoing his tie "I know you might not be listening, or rather paying attention, but wouldn't it be a good idea if you did these things in your room?" After no response Jim frowned a little, deep in thought himself all of a sudden while he looked at the antique clock that hung on the wall "And shouldn't you be in bed already?"

"No" Mai answered quietly from behind him, she had followed him from the start.

Jim almost had a heart attack and leaped into the air. Once he was over his hysterics, he frowned at her what should have been a scowl "You really need to stop sneaking up to people"

"I apologize" Mai bowed her head slightly, her lips curling at the edge into a small smile.

Jim simply shook his head with a smile and then regarded her for a moment "But I really think you should go to bed earlier than you do know, I know staying up late is fun and all,-"

"I am _not_ a child, Mr. Hudson, I am nineteen years old" Mai scowled, a sternness in her voice that suggested that _she_ was the adult scowling a child.

It only made him laugh "Okay, okay" Jim said apologetically, but the sincerity was lost due to the slight snicker in his voice.

Mai sighed, hands on her hips as she continued "Also, the meditative techniques I am using require space and silence, _my room_ is lacking in the former, I cannot do it there"

"Then why don't you do it outside then? Central park is a great place to,-"

Mai snorted "You are blessed if you think any place outside a home in this city can be 'silent'"

Jim scratched the back of his head "Well, yeah, its New York, it's called 'the city that never sleeps' for a reason"

Mai sighed deeply. She truly did miss her Masters mansion and dojo, far away from the loud and disturbing city life, buried deep within the Japanese landscape.

"You know…" Jim suddenly began, musing over a solution that would save his furniture and help Mai do whatever she needed to do "…this building always had a rather large attic"

* * *

After locating the key, Jim and Mai made their way up the flight of stairs and entered the abandoned attic after unlocking the door and let it creak open.

"Hmmm, definitely needs some dusting…" Jim mumbled to himself looking around and then tried to switch the light on "…and perhaps a new light bulb"

"No need," Mai smiled, listening how quiet it was as Jim face-palmed himself for his dumb remark "this is perfect"

"Well, the place is yours, use it however you like" Jim offered, putting his hands in his pockets and yawning.

Mai turned and bowed deeply "Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita"

Jim blinked, he didn't know a word Japanese, but he had a feeling it meant 'thank you' "…uhm, your welcome?"

Mai's little smile curved her lips again at the sound of his confused voice and stood up right. What a strange bunch of people she has encountered.

* * *

Raphael was in a particular good mood the next morning. He had come home with the others sound asleep, so they didn't know whether or not he had been able to find Mai this time and make amends.

Entering the dojo after devouring his cereal and feeding Spike, Raphael sat down next to Leonardo with a bright grin on his usual sullen looking face.

"You appear to be in a good mood, Raph" Leo observed, looking at his brother sideways as they waited for their Sensei.

"Something like that" Raph smirked.

Donatello who was still tired from working on his latest 'secret' project throughout most nights hadn't noticed Raphael's change in mood when his temperamental brother walked in and so started to pay attention to the conversation.

Mikey on the other hand was still silently snoring away, he had been quietly playing a video game late into the night and was therefore still catching up on his sleep and not paying attention at all, as usual.

"Don't tell me," Leo grinned "You actually found Mai, didn't you?"

"What did she say?" Donatello added, his curiosity giving him an energy boast. He had been very skeptical about Raphael being able to actually apologize to Mai because they were so different, but seeing Raph's upbeat mood, he had jumped to a conclusion far too quickly.

Raph's smile became more smug, his voice on the overconfident side "Well, once I apologized and all, she thanked me for bringing back her knife and,-"

"Wait," Leo interrupted, his expression changing from surprise to a half scowl "You went after that Toxic-Stinger _by yourself_?"

Raph snorted, rolling his eyes "Please, after that last fight, Toxic-Stinger was hardly a threat,-"

Mad, Leo stood to yell at Raphael, waking up a disorientated Michelangelo "Hardly a threat?! Are you completely out of you mind?! We could barely take that thing down as a group! Raph, what _were_ you thinking?!"

Raphael was quick on his feet and in Leo's face to yell right back at him "Would you just for once let me finish a sentence and listen to me! I don't need you to baby over me _Leo_!"

The two teens growled at each other while the two younger brothers backed up a few meters, Mikey asking Donnie what the shell was going on when the door slid open.

"What is this noise so early in the morning!" Splinter demanded, scowling at his sons.

"We're sorry, Sensei" Leo bowed in apology.

"Hmm. What was this yelling about?" Splinter questioned cocking an eyebrow, stroking his thing beard.

Raphael gritted his teeth when his other brothers stayed silent, leaving him to his own devices. Taking a deep breath he stepped forward, scratching the back of his head while trying to find the right words "Uhm…well, you see Master Splinter, remember that you told me to make amends with Mai?" Raphael stalled a bit before continuing "Well, I did last night, by retrieving her blade to her…"

Splinter had closed his eyes while listening and nodded in approval, opening his eyes "Ah, this is good"

"…by fighting Toxic-Stinger on my own…" Raphael muttered, looking away from his sensei, who hung his head at hearing that.

"So I told him he shouldn't have gone on his own" Leo informed, crossing his arms. Raphael growled at his elder brother.

"Raphael," Splinter spoke his name loudly to get his attention. Raphael immediately froze up and looked at his father.

Sighing in slight disappointment, the rat-man addressed his second eldest son in a stern tone "Though I do not approve of your recklessness, I am still glad to hear you were able to make amends with Mai" Raphael's stiff form relaxed as he thought he was off the hook "But, if you were to something like this again" Splinter spoke in low threatening tones "Be sure that you will be receive punishment"

Raphael swallowed loudly and Mikey chuckled quietly, but not quietly enough. As soon as Master Splinter's back was on them, Raphael smacked his little brother and their day continued in its regular pace.

Only for Raphael it felt like it was ticking a bit slower.

* * *

At the end of the day, when night began to fall he was ready to leave to be on his way to Mai's place when Leonardo stopped him.

"Raph?" Leo questioned raising an eyebrow when he saw Raphael heading out "Where are you going?"

"Uh…" Raphael turned his torso to look at his brothers, who were staring at him with questioning looks "I'm going out" He said brusquely, but fooled no one.

Both Mikey and Donnie shared a look and grinned widely, about to make 'girlfriend-jokes' when Leo was quicker "What about our evening patrol?"

Raphael turned his whole body this time as Leo had stepped a bit closer "What about it, Leo?"

"What about it? What's up with the attitude Raph? Normally you're the one more excited about our patrol then all of us" Leo commented calmly, not letting his irritation show.

"Yeah, well," Raphael's head started to reel, trying to think up a response that was both logical with which he could go see Mai and snappy so he could put his brother in his place. It wasn't really working out "I thought I…would sit this one out…so you guys can also fight…on your own for once"

He felt stupid just listening to himself.

"Oh really? So this has nothing to with the fact that you made amends with Mai?" Leo remarked, a small grin on his face as he saw Raphael open his mouth and close it again "Turtles first, right Raphael?" Leo reminded his hot tempered brother with a bit more pleasure than he should. But hey, it was not every day that you could make some one regret the words they once on you – especially if it was Raphael.

* * *

Mai had been sure he was supposed to be here ten minutes ago. Though she could not actually check the time by looking at the clock, she had however an incredible sense of time since that had been drilled into her brain by her very punctual Master all those years ago.

Feeling a bit anxious and deciding what to do, Mai stood for she had been sitting on the edge of the building, about to go back inside when a sound disturbed the other noises in her surroundings.

Turning her head to where she heard the noise, it had become more and more distinct.

Raphael landed with a loud smack on the roof, his breathing irregular, bend over to support his form on his knees "Sorry *gasp* I'm late" He wheezed.

"Raphael" Mai ran over to him, worried he might be wounded, she put her hand on his back "What happened?"

Raph let himself fall on his butt and inhaled deeply a couple of times to catch his breath before answering her "Nothing really, just patrolling with my brothers, so I had run several blocks to be here on time"

Mai's worry faded and she smiled "I'm glad"

Raphael blushed when he suddenly realized how close she was to him. She had sunk down, to lean on the balls of her feet, her hand still on his shell. He swallowed.

"Are you thirsty?" Mai asked when she heard him swallow, thinking he might be hydrated from all the running. She stood holding out her hand to pull him up "Come, I will make us some tea"

Raphael stared at the hand before taking it, a little jolt of excitement shot through him when he took it and once pulled up, she didn't let his hand go, guiding him inside.

* * *

**Authors Comments:**

So this chapter took longer to write then I thought it would - mostly because it has begun to feel like work and like most work related things, you try and postpone them. Anyway, I will try to get over this feeling, but it may happen that my updates will become very irregular from here on out - update differences like, two chapter a day to one chapter a month or even a half year or so.

Now I also hope you are liking the new character I have introduced – Jim Hudson – I know for all you fangirls out there those parts seem boring and I probably won't introduce other new OC characters to interact with Mai, but he was sorely needed.

I won't tell you guys what function he will exactly have in the story, but he will be an important side character to the whole thing :P But I am dying to know what you all make up from his character so far, so let me know ;)

As for Mai, there is still so much that needs to be explained about her – like OMG, you have no idea – and as much as I wish I could explain it now in here, I can't because it will ruin the experience for you.

Okay, I hope you liked this chapter (I know it isn't action packed or that there is any real romance going on, but all in tiny, little, small, puny doses) let me know what you think of it all!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMNT (teenage mutant ninja turtles).

**One Purpose**

Chapter 7

Mai stood frowning before walking into the street towards the rather large shopping mall. Jim had ordered her to 'go buy some clothes' since she only kept wearing the same clothes every day.

Unbeknownst to her, it was for him a means to get her out of the house and clinic for once, for she didn't indulge herself in what he considered something normal a girl of her age was supposed to do. Shopping.

Though the good doctor hadn't really thought the plan through, since Mai was so aware of everything around her, people tend to forget that she was actually blind.

And so, after kicking her out of the clinic in the middle of a sunny Saturday afternoon, Jim's face had begun to pale, realizing his mistake once he watched her walk off into the distance.

Now the blind Samurai had to succeed in her greatest task yet, or else be denied her beloved training space.

Sighing, Mai headed in the direction of the mall to undergo this new experience all on her,-

"Mai?"

Having been trained for years to memorize the sound of her enemies gave Mai the advantage over her enemies, or in this case, April O'Neil.

April could've spotted Mai from a mile, the redhead couldn't help but think that Mai looked out of place - even though the city was so big with so many different people, the Samurai had a vibe going that April couldn't quite put her finger on.

Making Mai much easier to spot in a crowd for April's sharp senses.

"April" Mai greeted with a nod to the girl she had saved all but a month ago.

"What are you doing here?" April asked and then quickly added "Not that I want to be noisy or anything"

"Jim thinks I need new clothing" Mai sighed, using the elder man's first name after he persisted she should.

"Jim?" April frowned while the two began walking towards the mall.

"Oh" Mai just realized that she had made the assumption that April should have known Jim and blushed slightly in embarrassment of it "My apologies. Jim is…a man who picked me off the street the morning after the fight with the beast. He took care of my wound and took me in" Mai explained.

"You don't have to apologize" April smiled gently as they crossed the street "He sounds like a nice guy"

Now April was the person who assumed too much, Mai snorted "He is an old fart who likes bossing me around because he thinks I am a helpless blind person. He threatened to call the police and have me kicked out of the country if I refused his offer to both take shelter at his home and let him fix my arm" She pointed to the latter which still hung nicely in the sling.

The plaster had been removed just today, but it was still bandaged tightly. Jim had made her promise not to do anything with it yet – like lifting weights or do push-up.

April raised her brows up high "Wait. So a strange old man has been taking care of you this whole time?" She questioned.

Mai raised a single brow, the two girls had stopped walking altogether on the sidewalk beside the mall "Yes"

"Mai! That's incredibly dangerous! Haven't you ever heard about stranger-danger? Or that you shouldn't trust man who offer you cand,-" Somewhere along the line April realized how ridiculous she sounded.

This was a Samurai she was ranting to about not trusting people you just meet because they could have been dangerous. April hung her head in her hands and muttered "Nice going April"

Mai put her hand on April shoulder and smiled her tiny smile "You are forgiven, but only if you help me with something…"

April blinked, did Mai plan on something dangerous "Okay? What is it?" She questioned, not sure of her abilities to fight yet. She had been training with Master Splinter for a while now…did Mai sense that she was ready or something?

"Well I…" Mai's mouth closed for a moment, her face feeling hot with embarrassment over something she hadn't thought possible. Because for this instance, she truly was at the mercy of another person.

Which made her ramble in an awkward attempt to explain it all "…have never done this before, usually I always have gotten clothes from my Master, which were all the same, so I never had to think about what I wore or looked like – actually I never worried about my clothing, though I did like my short jacket – but this is new and I don't know what size I have or what colors would suit me, I,-" Mai hung her head, cutting herself off before she would ramble even more embarrassing things to the girl.

What a mess, here she had been thinking she was such an adult all this time to finally realize she was still a brat herself. She would have to chew Jim out for this later.

April had already realized this had to do something with clothes instead of a dangerous mission and felt equally embarrassed – only difference was that Mai couldn't see that on her face.

So she took pity and smile gently "So this is about getting you some new clothes?"

Mai nodded and, with a taste for revenge upon the man who send her here with his credit-card, she smiled brightly "And perhaps some new training equipment, if it is not too much to ask"

The two walked into the mall "Nah, I didn't have much to do today, so I was going to buy some new socks anyway"

"Thank you" Mai smiled, her embarrassed already gone.

"You're welcome, and hey, it's the least I can do after you saved me" April winked and then face-palmed herself when she remembered Mai couldn't see her do that.

* * *

It took less time than April thought to buy clothes for her blind friend, after finding out the girl basically wanted the same that she had, only new. So April took Mai to Mr. Murakami to eat pizza gyoza.

"This is really good, Mr. Murakami" Mai said, amazed, while throwing another piece in her mouth.

"Thank you, Mai-chan, how nice to hear a new customer likes my food" Mr. Murakami smiled as he continued to work and serve other costumers.

When the two were done, they thanked Mr. Murakami and headed out.

"If you want, I can walk you home" Mai offered, though she didn't plan on letting the girl walk home alone.

"That's okay, I always walk home alone" April smiled and held up her hand in refusal "Besides, wouldn't it be hard for you to find your way back,-"

"Not at all," Mai cut off "either way, I find that I wish to know where you live, in case _anything_ _happens_"

The way Mai said it, had April's senses sharpened and she suddenly became aware of what was lurking in the shadows.

In an overly acted voice, April hooked her free arm with Mai's good arm and dragged the Samurai with her "Of course! Let's go to my place! There we can watch movies!" and quickly asked quietly while she took out her T-phone and texted Donatello "What do you think is watching us?"

Mai listened. They weren't really well trained, punks, only a small group. "A gang" Mai answered silently clutching the Bokken they had purchased at the martial arts shop.

"The Purple Dragons" April silently growled.

April led them around a corner, where they waited. Mai dropped the bags, holding the Bokken ready. It was way to light for her taste, but perhaps it was a good thing since they were only dealing with a couple of thugs anyway.

Then suddenly, a van pulled up across from them. Mai listened as the thugs stopped in their tracks and deciding against witnesses seeing them mug some girls when the doors of the van opened.

"The Kraang" April said in fear.

"Those weird Robots?" Mai questioned when they started to fire at them or more specifically, at Mai for their objective was to capture April.

Other than having any real weapons on her, Mai's Bokken broke the second time she hit one of those robotic bodies, not leaving a scratch on them while April managed to stay out of their grasp. She cursed the fact that she couldn't take her real weapons with her.

"April, just run!" Mai yelled, kicking one of the Kraang hard enough that it fell to the ground.

"What about you?!" April yelled back, ducking and rolling to the side.

"I'll be fine!" Mai shouted, pushing two Kraang bots to the side while holding onto the gun which had a knife to it. She used it to make an escape route for April "Now go!"

Feeling like she didn't have another choice, April ran out of the street and into an alley, the Kraang that tried to follow her were cut down by Mai. A second and third pulled up behind her and metallic arms clamped around her body.

Managing to hide, April saw how the Kraang stunned Mai with electricity and, unable to find her, loaded Mai into one of the vans.

Without a second thought as the last Kraang bot closed the car door behind him, April jumped on the side of the car, holding on for dear life as they took off.

* * *

Raphael was leading the way, in a hurry to get to Mai and April. He didn't have the faintest idea why Mai had let April text them about the Purple Dragons – they were small fry.

Suddenly, Donatello's phone rang with April's tone "Hello, April?" Donatello answered it and his confused face turned into full on shock "Mai is captured by the _KRAANG_?!"

"What? That's not possible" Mikey said skeptically and 'pfft-ing' at the sheer notion "I see what they are doing, April and Mai are just playing a prank on us. She can cut them in half in one blow"

"Shut it, Mikey, or so help me, I will,- " Raphael growled dangerously behind his little brother while they jumped up before he was caught off by Leonardo.

"Quite it, the both of you" Leo jumped down and plucked the T-phone out of Donnie hand "April, listen, you just find a safe place to hide, we will deal with the Kraang"

While his brothers ran, Raphael felt his anger boil. The Kraang had done it this time, he would crush those slimes, if they so much as left a scratch on her…

"April, you have got to stop doing such dangerous things! Just wait until we get there" Leo ordered and gave the phone back to Donatello, who pocketed it.

"Where to, Leo?" Donnie asked.

"They took her to some old warehouse, April will be waiting for us there" Leo informed his brothers and they headed for the location April had given them.

After a moment they found April hiding in one of the alleys surrounding the building.

"April, you okay?" Donnie asked, concern and relief written all over his face.

"I'm fine, but I don't know what they are going to do with Mai" She answered, guilt in her eyes.

"You sure she is inside?" Raphael asked, a dark tone in his voice.

"Yeah, of course I am" April frowned, but her eyebrows rose high when Raphael suddenly stormed up the building.

"Raph! What are you doing?!" Leo shouted after him, as his brother climbed up the building to the window.

"Yeah man! I want to save Mai too!" Michelangelo yelled, recklessly following Raphael.

"Mikey, wait! Guys, we can't go in without a plan! Raph! Stop!" Leo yelled, panic overwhelming him as his brothers kept ignoring him. He sighed, both him and Donatello following the two idiots.

"We'll be right back, April" Donnie promised and they disappeared.

"Be careful" April whispered concerned, holding her arms over her each other for comfort. Even though she never really interacted much with Raphael like she did with Donnie or Michelangelo, the look he had in his eyes while walking passed her made her realize he wasn't himself at all. And she wondered whether she should worry about that effecting the safety of his brothers…

* * *

_"Wanting to be a hero, wanting to save others. That kind of arrogance disgusts me…" _The words that were from a long time ago spun under the surface of her consciousness and Mai shook her head and groaned quietly.

She was sitting upright on a chair, her arms bound behind her by chains that also ran along the rest of her torso. The Kraang had not been gentle with her right arm, she felt it ache and throb while she became conscious.

"Kraang, these bags which contain clothes are clothes not suited for Kraang" One of the Kraang told another Kraang bot that was pulling out a shirt and holding it onto its body.

"Kraang, is wrong, Kraang will look very good in the clothing which is now of Kraang"

Were they discussing the clothes they bought? Why on earth would they take it with them in the first place.

Mai ignored it. They hadn't removed her sunglasses and so they didn't know she was awake, she doubted she would be saved by the turtles in time and so she would have to seek her own rescue. But trying would cause them to figure out she is awake and shoot her.

Ah, this was frustrating. This wasn't supposed to happen and with the old memory lingering close to the surface, Mai's thoughts became bitter.

Wasn't she just postponing the inevitable?

* * *

"Mikey! Raph!" Leo yelled as quietly as he could while he and Donatello followed the trail of empty Kraang bots "If Master Splinter hears of this, we are so not allowed to patrol again!" He hissed.

The building had been bigger than they thought, Donatello informing him that it might be mapped out like a labyrinth, with all the halls twisting and turning leading to the center.

Up ahead they heard fighting and saw Michelangelo rolling around for his life "Guys!" He yelled in both relief and panic "Raph has gone totally ballistic!"

Though the turtle mentioned was nowhere to be found, leaving the youngest brother to fend for himself.

After dealing with the few Kraang that were left, Donatello helped their younger brother up "What do you mean, Mikey?"

Shaking his head to get the buzz out of his ears, Mikey grabbed Donatello's shoulders tightly, pulling the taller close "He has the crazy eyes and I mean way more than usual! I think he has gone completely mental, man!"

Leo frowned "Then we got to stop him before he does something stupid"

"But how? These hallways go on and on, Leo, I don't think we will be able to catch up to him in time" Donatello stated worriedly.

Leo looked around them, his thoughts grim. He mused for a moment when suddenly something caught his eye "Gentlemen, I think I know what to do" He said grinning at his brothers.

* * *

**Authors Comments:**

Well this went rather quick, though I have to admit that writing action scenes always tend to be easier than writing about the deep and dwelling thoughts and amotions of my characters - though we are getting closer and closer to that of Mai's.

Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it thus far, let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

* * *

**One Purpose**

Chapter 8

Raphael was beating the crap out of the Kraang, his anger working his muscles. His mind focused on one thing; the destruction of any Kraang stupid enough to stand in his way.

Smashing another robotic head in, a side door opened and more Kraang came into the hallway. Seeing the trail of their fellow species lying defeated on the floor made a few of them hesitate – that was all he needed.

But there were more Kraang now than that Raphael could handle on his own. He was able to hold his own with his Sai. Raphael jumped over them, making a mistake and suddenly stood locked between the powerful Robot bodies.

Holding his Sai's up to stop them from slicing him to pieces with the razors on their guns Raphael's knees started to shake under the weight and applied pressure with one Kraang bot after another jumping on him to hold him. A couple of other Kraang aimed their weapons at him, ready to fire when his brothers came to his rescue.

Using the ventilation-shafts, they had cut over the labyrinth like hallways and found Raph in a few minutes.

Having his brothers with him, Raphael ducked, letting the Kraang fall face first to the floor and with their help, destroyed the robot bodies.

"Took you long enough" Was all the temperamental turtle planned to say to his brothers, ready to use their new found passage way when he was stopped by Mikey's Kusarigama swinging around his body and pulled him down mid jump.

"Hey!" Raphael yelped in surprise, but was quick to aim his anger towards the cause of his temporary enchainment "Mikey, what's the big idea?!" Raphael growled, glaring his little brother into a size smaller.

"It's for your own good, bro" Mikey squeaked in angst, Raphael looked so furious it scared him.

Raphael growled viciously at his little brother, ready to bite his head off and chew him out when Leonardo stepped between them.

"Raph," Leonardo scowled, his tone stern but level "You better get your head together before you get all of us killed"

"What the shell are you talking about?! The longer we sit here _wasting_ time, those Kraang slimes might do something to her!" Raphael yelled, his featured set in permanent rage.

"I know, but the way you are now will only put her, yourself and us at risk" Leo calmly replied and got down on eye level, putting his hand on Raphael's shoulder, calmly trying to reason with his enraged sibling "If you really want to save her, then you have to control your anger, Raph. Remember what Sensei told you "

"Think about it logically, if we all go down here, nobody will get saved" Donnie pointed out. This was normally a moment where Raphael would comment on with a snarky 'Thank you Captain Obvious'.

Even though his blood still boiled, Raphael had gained enough sanity to take a deep breath. Exhaling, he found himself still mad, but in control "Okay" he said, a small grin on his lips "Let's do this"

* * *

Mai listened.

Not necessarily with her ears, but with all her senses. With them, she judged where the Kraang bots that functioned as guards were, where the rest were and what they were doing. The height of the ceiling, the width of the walls, the many lamps, the devices that were making tiny noises as they worked under the robotic hands of the Kraang.

Training, brutal and painful years of it, had been the only thing to develop such a skill as hers. It was not only her hearing that had been sharpened to hear where things are or memorize the particular sounds the things around her made, but it was also the sense of_ feeling_ the energy of others.

Like being in water and feeling others move within the substance Mai had trained years to use at her advantage.

Even though she may not sense people from miles and miles away, she could however sense a presence in a clear open space from about 45 feet away, still leaving her vulnerable to attacks from a far.

Being chained and pretending to sleep, Mai had a moment to herself to think of a strategy to escape. First she had to rid herself of her bindings, which would be hard, but if she could free her feet and move…that would make all the difference.

Then second freeing her arms and grabbing a weapon, if she was able to pull this off, she would be free. But there was one problem, the moment she moved to free herself was the moment they would notice and either killed her or wrap her into more chains.

What she needed was a distraction.

As if on cue, four teenage mutant ninja turtles bursts from the ceiling, taking down a couple of Kraang as they landed.

"Mai!" Raphael yelled, impaling a Kraang bot head onto his Sai when he saw her and then being forced to smash a couple of more Kraang.

"Mikey, go free Mai!" Leo ordered – he knew that this was probably something Raph wanted to do, but Mikey was the quickest of them and moved around more freely then his brothers.

Raphael scowled, but continued to fight.

"Will do!" Mikey smiled, jumping over Kraang and slamming them with nun chucks as he passed them. He made it without a scratch, only to land in front of an empty space "Hey! Where'd she go?" Mikey asked looking around.

The others also looked, surprise and worry on their faces when something came hurtling down and crashed to the ground.

Mai had seized the opportunity to free her legs and jump to break the wooden chair. Shaking the rest of her chains of off her, the room seemed to have paused to be in awe of her. Raphael felt something in him shift as he saw her eyebrows draw together as she glared at the room.

"Wow," Mikey murmured "That was awesome-tastic"

Two doors slid open and more Kraang walked in. One of the Kraang that already been in the room fighting, spoke to them "Kraang, destroy the ones that are called the turtles and the one that broke free of the chains Kraang has put around the one that needed to be chained and broke free"

"Leonardo" Mai yelled at the sound of their alien weapons loading and held out her left hand "Mai I so ungraciously ask for your sword!"

"Any time!" Leo yelled back, this was going to be too much for them otherwise and threw his katana to Mai who smoothly caught it by the handle while simultaneously managed to deflected a laser blast.

The other Kraang began to do the same and shoot at them as they moved to slice and dice them. Her right arm was still throbbing, which irritated her – she feared that she had to re-cast it and wasn't all too fond of the idea.

The fighting continued, Raphael busy not to interfere with Mai, he wasn't supposed to protect her anymore. Just like sensei told her – at least not if she didn't need him too.

But he was better now, the remaining bits of his rage from before gone with every Kraang he defeated.

"Leo!" Donatello suddenly yelled when there seemed no end to the amount of Kraang flooding in.

"I know!" Leonardo yelled back, they were all getting tired, even if it seemed both Mai and Raphael could go on, both he and the others weren't going to last long. Soon someone would make a mistake and then it would be all over "Everyone, I think it's time we leave this party"

"What?!" Raphael yelled, looking over his shell as his hands worked to dissect another Kraang bot "We are running away again?"

Not paying attention to his surrounding, a couple of Kraang fired at him.

"RAPH WATCH OUT!" His brothers and Mai shouted.

Being the closest to him, Mai wormed her body in front of him, deflecting a couple of blasts with Leo's blade but getting hit anyway. Pain surged through her body, her left leg torn up by the blast and blood gushing out the wound, Mai managed to stay up by kneeling.

"Mai!" Raphael yelled in horror, punching the bots in front of him. He bend down next to her, she was breathing rapidly and slightly groaned in pain.

"I'm fine" She said through clenched teeth, while trying to pull herself up with Leo's Katana, but wobbled to the side. Grabbing her by the shoulder and punching another Kraang away from them while Raphael pulled her close to him.

Another door slid open with more Kraang walking in, ready to shoot them "Uh, bro's, there are more Kraang coming!" Michelangelo shouted, rolling around and hitting Kraang as fast as he could.

Opening another ventilation-shaft, Leo kicked a bot in the face while yelling "Let's go, _NOW_!"

"Good idea! LETS GO!" Donnie commented in his hysteric manner.

"Raph, take Mai! Donnie, Mikey and I'll cover for you!" Leo ordered, clearing a way through the Kraang with his katana.

Weakened by her wound Mai alone wouldn't be fast enough to make it to the shaft, so when Raphael gingerly pulled her left arm over his shoulders to support her, she did not complain.

"Sorry" Raphael apologized weakly as his brothers backed them up towards the shaft.

Bewildered by the sudden apology, Mai stayed silent.

When they made it there, the other three retreated with them into the shaft.

"You are going to have to climb on my back" Raphael told her while the gave Leo's sword back. Mai nodded and encircled his neck with her arms while he held onto her legs.

Through the pain that was ignited by the position she was in, his large hands cupping the inside of her legs was a strange comfortable feeling she never felt before.

"Okay, let's move" Leo ordered and they moved through the ventilation shafts smoothly and quietly.

They made it outside without any other conflict near the alley where they left April.

"Guys!" She exclaimed relieved, running towards them but stopped when she saw Mai. The raven haired girl was quietly breathing rapidly, her skin glistening in sweat and her face paler than usual.

Gingerly loosening her grip around his neck, Raphael pulled her of off and sat her onto the ground in front of him.

"Mai? Mai, are you okay?" He asked worriedly holding her by her shoulders. His brothers and April gathered around them.

"I said I was fine, didn't I?" She smiled her small smile – for some stupid reason she found his concerned voice amusing.

"But you are bleeding!" April squeaked, her voice dry and eyes wide "You need to see a doctor right away!"

"Not to worry April, Donnie here can do anything" Michelangelo smiled, putting his elbow on his taller sibling.

Who was quick to refute the statement "I'm _not_ a doctor, Mikey!"

"But you always come up with medical stuff!" Michelangelo countered, moving his arms around to make his point clearer.

"There's a difference between making an antidote that's based on science then actual physical medical** treatment!**"

"No there isn't! Medical things are medical!"

"That doesn't make any sen, -!"

"Could you all shout a little longer while Mai bleeds to death?!" Raphael growled, silencing them both.

"We need to get her to a hospital" Leonardo said, putting away his swords and looking at April "April, if we bring you two to the nearest hospital do you think you can take it over from there and,-"

"Turtles" Mai sighed , interrupting them again. She had pushed herself mentally to ignore her pain and pushed Raphael away from her who had held onto her for as long she allowed it.

"I know someone who can treat my wounds just fine, there is no need for a hospital. And this," She gestured to the wound that had bled "Is a minor wound, it just bleeds a lot. It just needs to be dealt with before we move again"

Raphael and Leonardo might've made an argument against it, if it weren't for the fact that Mai calmly proceeded with ripping pieces of cloth from her poofy pants and wrapping them around her wounded leg.

"That someone being that guy who also treated your arm?" Raph asked rather skeptically.

"Yes" Mai answered, ignoring his tone and tried to stand "You may drop me off at his clinic"

Looking around to his brothers and April if they'd agree with him, Leo gave in when no one objected and Raphael had stubbornly turned his head away "Alright then"

Without anyone saying anything else, the turtles helped Mai get to Jim's clinic and left her with April to help her up the stairs to the clinic.

* * *

**Author Comments:**

Man was this taking me long, sorry for the delay, I have't been feeling alright lately - lot of pressure with school and all is going to drive me insane. I had planned for this chaper to much and much longer, but only succeded in writing this.

I hope you still enjoyed it though, let me know!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMNT (teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).**

**One Purpose**

* * *

Chapter 9

_"Your arrogance has blinded your mind, making you misuse the power I gave you... so it is only befitting that the punishment you receive will _free_ you of that arrogance!"_

Mai awoke, bolting upright with hands and arms looking for something to grab onto but only finding air. Her body was covered in cold sweat – she had apparently thrown away her sheets somewhere during the nightmare.

Even though it had been a horrible memory, Mai could barely grasp what had scared her so in her dream. It hadn't been clear what it was or what it was about.

She tried calming her body, but it took longer than she deemed necessary to reduce the shivering and rapid breathing.

There were so many things that busied her mind instead. Like what had happened only a couple of hours before.

Being brought into the clinic by April, Jim had a fit when he heard about the two girls beings mugged and Mai being beaten by the Purple Dragons because she refused to give money to them. He would have been giddy with the fact that Mai had befriended another teenager – though Mai rather not be considered as one herself – but instead was left with concern.

He went on and on about her being irresponsible and not thinking 'right' in the situation, stating she was lucky the fracture hadn't broken yet again.

April tried to argue back that Mai was rather formidable, but Mai cut the teen off and told her to go home before she could make Jim angry that she supported the idea of a blind girl fighting gangsters.

Mai remained silent throughout the old man's rant as he treated her other wounds, her mind and body tired.

Jim was a kind man, if she ever dared to think so wishfully, she would have wished she had a grandfather like him – but Mai would never think so foolishly.

She never had the experience of family that she could recall and sitting upright on the soft matrass she found it depressing she thought about those things now.

Touching the scars around her eye with her hand she wondered how long it had been. But shook the feeling of dread of off her and laid back down.

There was no use dwelling on the past.

* * *

Okay, so he turned into a creep.

Raphael told himself this after he lost the argument to the part of himself that found it completely 'o-kay' to keep watching Mai as she got into her bed and sleep. He was sitting across from their building, with a clear view on each room.

An insane part of him blamed her even, for she didn't close her own curtains which, if closed, would have prevented him from sticking around.

He was warring with himself even then, but a bigger part of him wanted to keep staring at her and overcame the part that told him he was doing something closely related to a peeping tom.

Raphael had stayed behind when the others dropped April off at her aunt's house to keep an eye on Mai in case the Kraang creeps would try and kidnap her again.

Following her and the old man as they took a taxi to their house was the less 'going to stalker vill' part.

He was grateful Mai didn't make use of her curtains or the fact she didn't bother stripping and simply crawled in her bed, kicking her sandals to the corners of her room.

Raphael grabbed his head and turned around, sitting down and his eyes wide staring at his feet. What was he thinking?

Just staring at her sleeping face for the last hour should be classified as a form of obsessive stalker, no matter how much he wanted to keep staring.

Maybe he should talk to Master Splinter about this as well?

He sighed, he was going to go home and get his head checked by Donnie or something, he needed to feed Spike anyway…

He looked over his shoulder to glance at her one last time before leaving when she suddenly bolted upright.

Hiding himself from sight like the creep that he was, he cursed himself for continuing like he was a peeping tom.

Raphael, shook the feeling of off him and watched her. She couldn't have known it was him, she was inside and he had been nothing but quiet after all.

So she had must've had a bad dream and it certainly looked that way.

Raphael saw how her face was constricted with a weird sort of shock and horror. Like when you startle someone you are very close with and they just realize it's you before they scream.

As he watched her calm herself from waking up so violently, he saw how her unshielded face turned and twisted into something he never seen before.

In comparison to how she always acted, she looked frighteningly fragile now. Her whole form seemed breakable, like a simple breath of air would blow her into the next dimension.

Though Raphael was young, he wasn't completely ignorant. Something about it made him understand Mai a bit better.

He had no clue to _who_ Mai was on the inside, but he understood now that her skills as a fighter and her tough outer exterior hid a very breakable person within.

When she went back to sleep, Raphael came to the conclusion that if he wished to reach out to Mai with his own feelings, he should first understand hers.

* * *

Though her wounds were sore the morning she awoke, it wasn't them that dragged her that day down a hill. She was tired from being so restless when she slept. It bothered her more than the fact that Jim had left to rebuy everything Mai had bought the other day.

Knowing the older man would only return later that evening, Mai set out to find the turtles – not forgetting her weaponry this time.

But what stopped her from actually going out the door and doing so was the fact she had no idea how to get to them. Normally Mai would be able to ask directions from people and be on her way, but down in the sewers there were only rats.

She hated to admit it, but she was bound to be hopelessly lost down there. Everything was the same to her down in the sewers, she wouldn't be able to find them.

The only thing she could do was hope Raphael would show up later that evening, like he did before. Mai sighed loudly and hung her head as she sat down on the couch and letting her katana in the hockey-bag slid off her shoulder. Her frustration tensing her shoulders as she tried to figure out what to do.

Mai wasn't used to get startled, but when the doorbell rang she was up in a split second with her small blade unsheathed from her back.

Did Jim forget his keys?

On guard Mai entered the hall carefully. No, he never did, or else he'd had a spare one in his wallet. Mai frowned as she inched closer to the door, her katana silently swung back over her shoulder – the doorbell rang again. And it would be a little too early for him to be back from shopping.

It couldn't be a delivery, Jim always told her when he was supposed to receive packages. Her hand encircled the door knob and the doorbell rang for the last time.

So it wasn't Jim or anyone delivery company, Mai could only conclude that it had to be the enemy and posed to strike.

She swung the door open that smacked loudly against the wall knocking over a side table and lunged forward, knife ready to cut the enemies throat.

"WAIT!" April shrieked the moment the door opened, the sharp edge of the blade stopping only a millimeter from her skin.

"April O'neil" Mai greeted her grimly, a scowl on her face and pulling her weapon from the girl's neck and sheathing it.

"Uhm, wow, remind me to never sneak up on you" April remarked eyes wide with slight fear from the sudden attack.

"What are you doing here?" Pausing before she moved aside as to invite the girl in, Mai cocked a brow "And how did you find this place?"

"It wasn't so hard" April informed Mai as she walked inside "Mr. Hudson's home address can be found in any phonebook, along with several other, but he is the only one who could afford a place like this" April explained with a smile of satisfaction her face and looking around.

"I understand" Mai closed the door behind the and guided them towards the living room, gesturing for April to sit down.

Inspecting the older girl from head to toe, April was relieved to see she wasn't as wounded as she feared Mai would be "But the reason I came was to see if you were alright"

"I understand" Mai repeated, kicking herself mentally for making April worry about her wellbeing while she was supposed to be the stronger one "My deepest apologies for making you waste your time worrying about me, April" Mai bowed.

"Don't be ridiculous, you saved my life! It's only natural I worry" April quickly retorted, hands up defensively.

Mai straightened, not feeling any less ashamed and April knowing it. The two stood there in silence for a moment before Mai remembered.

"it is actually quite fortunate for you to come by, April" Mai said, her voice brightening up.

April blinked in surprise, she was sure that the two have a long awkward moment of silence waiting for them "huh? How's that?"

Mai bowed, going down on one knee this time "I have to request a favor, could you by any chance guide me to the Turtles?"

Again, April felt weirded out and surprised "Sure, but why don't you go there yourself?"

Mai stayed as she were and blushed, not really knowing how to put this without admitting her weakness.

Thankfully, April was a bright girl "Oh! I'm so sorry!" she gasped shooting up "I didn't mean to-! It's just I keep forgetting that you are-! That you can't see! And that's good, right? I mean,-!"

During April's blabbering Mai straightened up and put her hand on April's shoulder, her small smile in place "It's okay, I understand"

Mai's firm hand on her shoulder calmed her and made her feel accepted, at home - the feeling similar to whenever her dad did when she needed comfort or support.

April smiled "Thanks"

"Not a problem" Mai smiled back.

* * *

Arriving at the entrance of the turtles lair, Mai hadn't expected much of a welcome for the trouble she caused them. But the people in this city kept surprising her with their kindness.

It was still rather early in the morning for the turtles to be active on a Sunday, so the living room area was deserted.

"Hello? Anyone home?" April called out as they walked down the steps. There was some activity coming from the nearby rooms, but Mai felt extremely rude for entering their home without permission, and was about to tell April so when a head popped from kitchen through the Noren.

"Hey, morning April, you're early, I don't think Master Splinter's,-" Mikey greeted April when he saw Mai and dropped the bowl with eggs he was going to use to make breakfast "MAI!"

Mai waved lamely at him and greeted him a bit awkwardly "Ohayō, Michelangelo…sorry for intrude,-"

"Huh? Mikey, who's – Oh, hey April," Donatello's figure appeared between the doors of his lab/garage with his protection mask on and removing it so he could see better "I,- _we_ weren't expecti,- Mai?"

Mai turned her body to greet him a good morning as well, when two other came walking into the living room.

Leonardo and Master Splinter both looked surprised as they saw Mai standing next April.

"Hi, guys, sorry for coming a bit earlier than usual" April smiled and walked further into the lair, unknowingly leaving Mai to stand uncomfortably half way into the lair.

"That is quite alright April" Splinter greeted her and then turned his attention to the raven haired girl "I am glad to see you are doing well, Mai. Leonardo had just told me you all had a bad encounter with the Kraang last night"

Relaxing a bit at the welcoming tone, Mai nodded "I am ashamed to admit I wasn't prepared to encounter a fight yesterday"

"Sometimes things happen that we can't control, no matter how strong we are" Leo said like he was years older "So its fine, we are all just happy everything turned out okay"

"Besides," April added "You at least were able to fight them off long enough for me to get away with only your bare hands!"

Mai opened her mouth to argue back when out of nowhere she received a rather tight hug from Mikey "I'm so glad you are alright dude!" He let go of her all of a sudden and rethought what I was saying for a moment "I mean, girl-dude – I need to think a good nickname for you, but don't worry, the Mikester is great at thinking up names!"

Not sure how to react to that, Mai turned her attention to the others "Either way, I am also very sorry for intruding like this" She apologized bowing her head slightly.

"There's no need for you to apologize, you are welcome to come by anytime" Splinter smiled.

"That is very kind of you" Mai said straightened "But I do feel like I have disturbed you by coming over so suddenly"

"That's okay, we were pretty much awake anyways, so don't worry about that" Donatello replied, walking in and standing as close to April as he dared, who glanced over at him smiled at him.

"Yeah, besides," Mikey continued enthusiastically "The only one really sleeping in is Raphael, so don't worry about a thing"

"O..kay?" Mai replied a bit confused. Shouldn't they wake him them, sleeping in was somewhat sloppy.

"Anyways, I'm going to make more breakfast, so you can have breakfast with us!" and the energetic turtles disappeared again.

She turned her head towards the others and pointed into the direction where Mikey had skipped away "Is he always…so full of energy in the morning?" She questioned as politely as she could.

"Not always" Leo said chuckling for a little bit "But he can cook though"

April walked over to Master Splinter to ask about their training session later that day, Donnie remembered something he had busied himself with for a couple of days now "Oh, Mai"

"Yes, Donatello?" She replied relieved. She didn't know how to place herself at the moment and was more than happy to start a conversation.

Leo approached them as well, he wasn't planning on training after lunch anyway and was curious what Donnie wanted from Mai.

Happy with her open response, he continued "Well, I was wondering, since you are blind have you ever learn to work with Braille?"

Mai was surprised he had to ask, but answered politely anyway "Yes I have"

"What's that?" Leo asked, looking at his tallest sibling.

Always happy to explain, Donatello used his hands while he did so "_Braille_ is based on a tactile military code from the 19th century and was called night writing and developed by Charles Barbier in response to Nap,-"

When both Mai and Leonardo were cocking eyebrows, Donatello slumped his shoulder, stopping and gave the two a deadpan before he shortened the long history lesson to a singular sentence "Braille is a tactile writing system used by the blind and the visually impaired to _read_ and _write_ with, Le-o"

Leo grinned at his brother "Now that is something everyone understands"

Donatello rolled his eyes.

"Uhm, but why do you ask, Donatello?" Mai asked, not really sure where this was going.

"Well, if you would follow me, I have cooked something up that just make things easier for all of us" Donnie said both mysterious and smugly.

Mai turned her head towards Leonardo as if to glance at him and raised her brows questioningly. He shrugged at her knowing she would sense the gesture and followed his brother into the garage/lab.

Sighing, Mai went along with it for now.

Entering the wide space filled with junk unknown, Mai walked over where the two turtles were. Donatello was rampaging through a couple of drawers before he found it "ah, here we go" He grinned and turned.

"A t-phone, Donnie?" Leo questioned disappointed.

"What's that? Is it like a cellphone?" Mai asked.

Leo replied faster than his brother who glared at him while spoke "Yeah, sort of, only Donnie made them himself"

Not giving into his irritation, Donatello regained his smugness and held the turtle-shaped phone up high "Yes, but one is _special_" Activating the phone, he handed it over to Mai "Okay, now if you would place your finger gently on the screen…" At that moment Mai had the faintest of ideas of where this was going.

The moment she complied Donnie got his own t-phone and texted the one Mai was holding. The screen underneath her fingers changed and she read the letter popping up [Does it work?].

"Yes" She answered smiling, reading that the other button on the phone "This is amazing…how did you?"

Grinning widely Donnie explained happily "Well, I was looking through a couple of junkyards for some electronic components and stumbled upon that nano glass. Normally Braille is traditionally written with embossed paper, but there are computer screens and other electronic supports thanks to refreshable braille displays that were made somewhere in 193,-"

They both simply gave him that look again.

"BASED ON those displays, I managed to shrink down their Braille system to a t-phone friendly size with a nona-tech touchscreen"

"Oh" Both Mai and Leo said.

Donatello sighed deeply, wondering why he never learned that they would never get what he was saying "Anyway, now we can call you or you us, or text, whenever its necessary"

"That's awesome, Donnie, good work" Leo complimented.

Mai held the device in her hand, not sure what to say really. She was torn between simply accepting such a generous and thoughtful gift and giving it back because she was neither worthy of it and would never need it.

Her gratitude and the fact that Donatello must've worked unbelievable hard on it won over her pride.

"Mai?" Leo questioned when she didn't say anything.

"Hm? Oh, sorry, it's just, I never would…" She got completely tongue tight "Thanks, thank you very much"

He had been worried for a second, but was relieved and grinning widely with his brother when she accepted the t-phone "Not a problem, if there are any problems with it or it breaks, just let me look at it. We warriors of ancient Japanese times should look at for each other ya know?"

A part of her was reluctant, but she nodded and smiled "Yeah"

"Sensei! Bro's! April! Onee-chan! BREAKFASTS RE-ADY!" Mikey shouted throughout the lair.

They all simply looked in the direction of the living room.

"Who on earth is he calling big sister?" Leo questioned and then face palmed himself along with Donatello.

Donatello groaned "Oh jeez. Forgive him Mai, he isn't really the brightest of the bunch"

Mai softly snickered, surprising them "Nah, its fine. I rather have him call me that then refer to me as a bro"

* * *

**Author Comments:**

Pffft, that took along time. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter even though it's less 'action packed' then the last chapter. I felt like I needed to establish Mai's relationship with the other characters a bit further before moving on too fast. It's an important part of the story before (like in most stories) all hell breaks loose. I want everyone to care about each other first before that inevitable time.

Anyway, your opinions are important to me, so what did you guys think about this chapter, did I go tooooo far with the 'onee-chan'? or is it something that Mikey would really do? Any other thoughts on the story and its progress are always welcome! So let me know! ^^


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